The Detroit Lions have announced that defensive back Brian Branch has suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the team’s 44-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
Branch was forced out of the contest with 3:45 remaining in the 4th quarter, requiring the cart to reach the locker room. The 24 year old landed awkwardly while attempting to break up a pass in the end zone against Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson. Initially labeled as an ankle injury, additional testing on Friday revealed that the former Alabama standout’s injury was worse than initially feared.
It’s a devastating blow to a Lions secondary that is already without CB Terrion Arnold, and safety Kerby Joseph who have both missed large chunks of time with shoulder and knee injuries. Making matters worse, the Lions also lost safety Thomas Harper to a concussion on the first defensive series of the game as well.
By the end of the contest, Detroit was down to their 4th and 5th string safeties, and now figure to lean on Avonte Maddox and Daniel Thomas down the stretch unless they add some free agent depth to the position. The one silver lining from the night is that the Lions will now have 10 days to get ready for a December 14th matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
That buffer will hopefully allow GM Brad Holmes to elevate a practice squad player or dip his toe into the free agent market for some help in the team’s secondary.
Across 12 appearances this season, Branch had amassed 75 tackles, 9 passes defended, and five QB hits as he took on a larger role following his trip to the Pro Bowl in 2024.
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.