What does the Lions’ depth at safety look like?
Brian Branch suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the win over Dallas last week and that means Detroit will be without the services of one of the most versatile safeties in the league for the rest of the season.
“Anytime you lose someone like BB, it’s going to hurt,” Campbell said. “He’s a productive player. He’s an outstanding football player and he’s a team guy. Great locker room guy. Teammates love him. So, you lose all of that.”
Campbell likes their depth at safety. He expects to get All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph back at practice this week with the hope of getting him some reps Sunday in Los Angeles. Joseph hasn’t played since Week 6 in Kansas City because of a knee injury.
The Lions signed veteran safety Damontae Kazee to the practice squad, and they’ll see how quickly he can acclimate to defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s scheme.
They also have veteran Avonte Maddox, who stepped in last week when Thomas Harper went down with a concussion and notched eight tackles, a forced fumble and a pass defended against the Cowboys.
“He played his tail off, which is why he’s here, because he’s a football guy,” Campbell said of Maddox’s performance against Dallas. “He made quite a few plays. That’s encouraging.”
Harper remains in concussion protocol to start the week, but Campbell is hoping he can navigate through that and work his way back into the lineup this week. It’s next man up and the train doesn’t slow down on the home stretch of the regular season.