A major injury and loss for the Detroit Lions last season was the Achilles injury that safety Brian Branch suffered on December 4, 2025, against the Dallas Cowboys. Now, head coach Dan Campbell has provided the clearest timeline for his return yet.

It has been months with no real update on Branch’s recovery until now. After being placed on the PUP list for training camp on July 26, along with fellow safety Kerby Joseph and tight end Tyler Conklin, head coach Campbell has now provided a shocking new update on Branch’s return.

“I’m sure late training camp, maybe early September, he can start practicing,” Campbell told reporters. “We’ll see.”

The first press conference of the Lions’ training camp for this season, held on 29 July, was the first time that fans have gotten a possible timeline of return for Branch.

This is great news for Lions fans as he could potentially be off the PUP list by the start of the regular season.

However, we can expect the Lions not to take any risks, considering the severity of the injury and wanting to take it slow and ensure that Branch is completely healthy before returning to the playing field. 

Branch, in his last season in 2024, was one of the best safeties in the league as he was selected to his first Pro Bowl game.

Since being drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Branch has recorded 258 combined tackles, seven interceptions, and 14 QB hits.

Safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph and tight end Tyler Conklin will begin camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list, the Lions announced Sunday.

Meanwhile, his teammate Joseph’s recovery is still up in the air, and Campbell does not believe that Joseph will be ready at least for Week 1 of the regular season. 

Still, when Branch returns to action, the Lions would be getting back a top-10 safety in the league, according to NFL analysts.

Brian Branch ranked as a top-10 safety

There is no question about the importance of Brian Branch in the Lions’ defense and that he is one of their best defensive players.

Sports Illustrated’s Mike Kadlick, Eva Geitheim, and Karl Rasmussen thought so too and ranked him as the sixth-best safety in the league.

“Branch enters 2026 coming off quite the rollercoaster ‘25 campaign,” wrote Kadlick. “Injury caused him to miss Detroit’s final five games of the season, and puts his start to the 2026 season in jeopardy. Still, Branch’s track record and long-term potential at the position land him just outside our top five.”

In the rankings, Branch was the second-highest-ranked safety from the NFC North, ranked two spots behind the Green Bay Packers’ Xavier McKinney. 

What’s interesting is the fact that Branch was the youngest in the entire list, except for the tenth-ranked Calen Bullock, showing how Branch still has time to grow and become even better. 

Under defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, the Lions had a strong start as one of the best defenses last season, before a decline due to injuries and inconsistency. 

If Sheppard can guide the team's defense back to a similarly elite form next season and see Branch return to full fitness and a similar form to his 2024 season, he could see himself ranked even higher in next year’s rankings.

Where would you rank Branch amongst the league’s best safeties? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar