ALLEN PARK, Mich. — There are currently no setbacks with Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch as he continues to recover from his season-ending Achilles injury in 2025, but it’s highly unlikely he will return ahead of training camp.
“I guess there’s always a chance. I’m going to just go ahead and widen the window so we don’t have to talk about it anymore. Let’s just go ahead and say December,” Lions coach Dan Campbell mentioned of Branch. “Anything before that is a bonus.”
There is also a slim chance that Branch could be a candidate for the physically unable to perform PUP list to start the 2026 season, according to Campbell, but nothing is certain at this time.
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Branch suffered a torn Achilles in Week 14 during the fourth quarter of the Lions’ 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night and had to be carted off the field. He was attempting to break up a pass in the end zone when he landed awkwardly.
After undergoing surgery last December, Campbell anticipated that his recovery time would take at least eight to 12 months, and he’s showing steady progress.
“Look, there’s no setbacks with him. That’s what I can tell you. He’s doing a good job,” Campbell mentioned. “He’s putting in the work, but until we really get closer, I hate to start throwing a timetable on him, but he’s doing well.”
Branch, 24, is a one-time Pro Bowler who was drafted by the Lions in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft out of Alabama. He started in all 12 appearances last season, logging 75 tackles, nine passes defended and five quarterback hits as one of the team’s top defenders.
He is also eligible for a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal in 2026, but the organization isn’t rushing him back.
“I think you always want to know that your guys are healthy and that this is truly healed,” Campbell mentioned. “You always kind of want to lean that way, knowing the investment that would go into that.”
