The hits continue coming to the Detroit Lions secondary, a group more typically known in recent years for delivering knockout blows rather than trying to navigate them.
A big part of the defense’s success as a unit, prior to a major step backwards in 2025, was safety Kerby Joseph. A first-team All-Pro selection who finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting just two seasons ago, Joseph’s most recent campaign included a knee injury that cost him the final 11 games and continues to linger.
Detroit begins training camp this weekend, but whether Joseph will be ready to even contribute meaningfully at all early during the early portion of regular season remains a concerning question for the Lions.
“[Joseph] was absent from OTAs earlier this summer, so it is uncertain just how close he is to returning to the field. Also uncertain is how many snaps he can take when he returns,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote July 21. “If Joseph’s knee remains a pain management issue for the remainder of his career, then the Lions might struggle to play him for 100% of snaps in a 17-game season.”
“Of course, fitting Joseph into a rotation would have been easier before the other starting safety, [Brian] Branch, was also slated to miss time,” Solak continued.
Brian Branch Injury, Looming Contract Extension Talks Complicate Problems for Lions Secondary
GettySafety Brian Branch of the Detroit Lions.
Joseph, a third-round pick out of Illinois in 2022 who will turn 26 in mid-November, inked a four-year extension worth $86 million in April of 2025. The first season of that deal begins this September.
That is a highly problematic set of circumstances for Detroit given that Branch tore his Achilles tendon last December and is also eligible for an extension heading into a contract year.
“Coach Dan Campbell was unwilling to put a timeline on Branch’s recovery in June,” Solak explained. “Despite Campbell’s ambiguity, this sounds like a player unlikely to make an early appearance as training camps kick off. Any activity from Branch during practice in August would offer a huge sign that his return is imminent, but defensive backs can’t mess around with Achilles tears. The Lions will go slow with Branch.”
Branch earned Pro Bowl honors in 2024 and is potentially in line for a big payday, though it is unlikely Detroit will commit serious money to the 2023 second-round pick until he returns to full health and proves he will likely regain, or has already regained, his pre-injury form.
Lions Defensive Backfield Even Thinner After Cutting Ties With Cornerback Terrion Arnold
GettyFormer Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold.
Then, of course, there is the issue of former Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold.
Detroit cut the 2024 first-rounder earlier this summer, as he faces four counts of armed robbery and four counts of kidnapping in Florida. Arnold faces life imprisonment if convicted on all charges.
Arnold’s dismissal, coupled with the injuries to Joseph and Branch, has left the Lions’ secondary precariously thin. And as of yet, Detroit has not made any moves to directly address those deficiencies via free agency or the trade market.
The Lions kick off training camp on Saturday, July 25.
Lions Get Bad News on $86 Million All-Pro Ahead of Training Camp