As expected, the Detroit Lions are reportedly placing safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph on the PUP list to begin the 2026 season. This means neither can play for a minimum of four games to start the season, but either can begin practicing by Week 2, which is a change from previous seasons where players couldn't practice until Week 4.
Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press confirmed the news this evening.
With that news came a much less expected information drop: cornerback Nick Whiteside, who had been taking snaps at safety as recently as last week, and who had been praised throughout training camp this offseason, was released by the team. As Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News shared, Whiteside is a candidate to return to the practice squad.
As Branch and Joseph head to the PUP list, Whiteside would've made sense to keep on as a depth piece at safety. It makes his release all the more shocking.
Whiteside's release makes even less sense after Joseph, Branch news
While Whiteside didn't have too much time to acclimate to a potential role at safety over being the teams' projected CB3/4, he was still a valuable defensive back worth bringing on after proving himself as a decent backup in 2025 with the 'Legion of Whom.' With him gone, the Lions' secondary looks even thinner.
Stay poised...
— Nicholas R Whiteside II (@_nickwhiteside) August 30, 2026
We still don't know who Detroit is keeping on because, well, it's about 8pm EST on Sunday and we still haven't heard an official peep about the teams' moves. It's normal for some teams to release that information later than the 6pm EST deadline given by the NFL, although, it's made even worse by the fact that reporters share cuts as they're trickling in, leaving fans to panic a bit about releases like that of Whiteside's.
READ MORE: 4 last-minute Lions' QB2 trade options for Brad Holmes before final roster cuts
This move could be the precursor to a larger acquisition, of course. Joey Porter Jr. has been mentioned as a trade target for the last few weeks as he attempts to reach an extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers, while a bigger fish in Christian Gonzalez remains on the mind.
It's possible that Detroit can bring Whiteside back on the practice squad, but it's hard to say whether another cornerback needy team might put in a claim for him. The way that we value "Ironsides" may be vastly different to how the rest of the league views him, or they may see him as a good fit behind their own starting CBs.
Either way, Whiteside gone means the Lions are still wanton for help at safety. Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox are projected to be starting there to begin the year, but if your only viable backup is Thomas Harper, that's a problem.
Add us as a preferred source on Google