Lions receive devastating news on safety Brian Branch

Detroit’s Brian Branch, one of the top safeties in the NFL, suffered a torn Achilles in the fourth quarter of Thursday’s 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys — a significant hit to the team’s playoff hopes.

The news, reported Friday by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, is a huge blow for Branch, a third-year player from Alabama who’s set to become a free agent after the 2026 season. He was expected to soon seek a contract extension.

Branch — who left the game on crutches and wearing a walking boot, according to the Detroit Free Press —  underwent further tests Friday morning. The team was already without cornerback Terrion Arnold (season-ending shoulder injury) and safety Kerby Joseph (knee).

Detroit’s Brian Branch ranked among NFL’s best safeties

Before the season, Pro Football Focus ranked Branch as the fifth-best safety in the NFL, behind Tampa Bay’s Antoine Winfield Jr., Atlanta’s Jessie Bates, Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney and Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton.

Now, Branch — a Pro Bowler last season and the team’s third-leading tackler with 79 in 2025 — faces an extensive rehabilitation process. According to the National Library of Medicine, athletes suffering from a torn Achilles “were able to return to professional sport participation 76% of the time, with mean time” of recovery of 11 months.  

In Branch’s absence, the Lions could turn to veterans Avonte Maddox or Daniel Thomas.

The Lions (8-5) are third in the NFC North, trailing the Green Bay Packers (8-3-1) and Chicago Bears (9-3). Without Branch, the defending NFC North champion’s road to the playoffs just got harder.