Detroit Lions' Brian Branch reportedly done for year with torn Achilles; looking at team's path forward

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Allen Park — In another year of brutal blows, the Detroit Lions were dealt another one Friday morning after ESPN reported that Pro Bowl safety Brian Branch suffered a torn Achilles in the closing minutes of the team’s 44-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Branch was hurt while defending a third-down throw into the end zone with under four minutes remaining in the contest. On the pass to tight end Jake Ferguson, the safety entered the picture late, earning the breakup. But in the process, Branch came down awkwardly on his right foot, immediately causing him to clutch at his right ankle.

Trainers tended to Branch for several minutes before he was helped to the sideline, where he was loaded onto a cart and whisked away to the locker room.

It’s the latest injury for a Lions team that’s been ravaged by them the past two seasons, with Detroit’s defensive backfield being hit particularly hard this year.

In addition to Branch, the Lions also lost safety Thomas Harper to a concussion earlier in the game. That comes after the team placed Terrion Arnold on season-ending injured reserve at the start of the week, while All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph missed his seventh consecutive contest with a balky knee that’s been giving him problems since training camp.

Other defensive backs who have suffered injuries this year include season-enders for Ennis Rakestraw and rookie Dan Jackson during training camp, plus stints on injured reserve for DJ Reed, Khalil Dorsey and Daniel Thomas. The latter three have since returned to action.

Still, the revolving door of talent in the back end gave way to the “Legion of Whom,” a collective of little-used backups who delivered an impressive performance in a win over Tampa Bay earlier in the season.

Now the Lions face the prospect of needing to shuffle the deck again with the Branch news.

Getting Joseph back in the near future would certainly ease the loss. Despite his lengthy absence, he remains committed to returning this season. Encouragingly, he practiced for the first time since being shelved earlier this week, even if it was only as a limited participant for one day.

Until Joseph gets the green light and Harper clears protocol, the Lions are going to initially have to lean on veteran Avonte Maddox, the versatile Detroit native who stepped in for Harper and delivered a stellar performance in the victory over Dallas on Thursday.

Maddox was paired with Thomas down the stretch of the win. He was in an excellent position to contribute to Reed’s game-sealing pick, but Thomas has primarily worked on special teams throughout his career and hasn’t logged more than 40 defensive snaps since 2021.

In terms of depth, Detroit has little on the active roster. On the practice squad, there’s Erick Hallett and Loren Strickland, who both had roles in the “Legion of Whom” performance. One or both are likely to get a promotion to the 53 this week.

There’s also the possibility of shifting Rock-Ya Sin inside after the veteran defender cross-trained at safety during the offseason program. However, that seems less likely following the loss of Arnold. The veteran is needed on the outside, where he logged more than 40 snaps against Dallas.

Finally, the Lions could look to add an experienced veteran to stabilize an inexperienced group beyond Maddox. Among the names not currently on a roster are Justin Simmons, Damontae Kazee, Vonn Bell, Jordan Whitehead and Marcus Maye.