{"id":918020,"date":"2026-06-13T19:21:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T19:21:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/918020\/"},"modified":"2026-06-13T19:21:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T19:21:19","slug":"detroit-lions-update-on-star-defender-not-looking-great-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/918020\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions update on star defender not looking great for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebiglead.com\/commanders-chiefs-best-stefon-diggs-landing-spots\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">NFL<\/a> offseason has featured several star players working their way back from season-ending injuries suffered in 2025. Some recoveries have progressed faster than others. Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, the latest news surrounding star defensive back Brian Branch has not been encouraging. On Saturday, reports painted an even less optimistic picture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7352136\/2026\/06\/11\/detroit-lions-defense-kelvin-sheppard-dj-reed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">report<\/a> from The Athletic, Branch no longer has a timetable for his return. Earlier reports had already indicated he would not be ready for the start of the regular season. Now, concerns are growing that his availability for the 2026 campaign could be in jeopardy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebiglead.com\/tampa-bay-buccaneers-gm-address-baker-mayfields-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM address Baker Mayfield\u2019s future<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One encouraging development is that head coach Dan Campbell said Branch has not suffered any setbacks in his recovery. Achilles injuries, however, can be notoriously unpredictable, and recovery timelines often vary from player to player. Branch is recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered late last season.<\/p>\n<p><img data-od-added-loading=\"\" data-od-removed-fetchpriority=\"high\" data-od-replaced- data-od-xpath=\"\/HTML\/BODY\/DIV[@class='elementor elementor-68004 elementor-location-single post-186637 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-nfl tag-brian-branch tag-detroit-lions tag-nfl mv-content-wrapper']\/*[3][self::DIV]\/*[1][self::DIV]\/*[2][self::DIV]\/*[2][self::DIV]\/*[1][self::DIV]\/*[5][self::FIGURE]\/*[1][self::IMG]\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773776494_494_default-1166-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-133832\" \/>Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) tries to intercept a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The contrast between Branch\u2019s recovery and those of other players remains noteworthy. San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, for example, is reportedly pushing for a Week 1 return, although that remains far from certain. The comparison highlights just how differently Achilles recoveries can unfold and how much uncertainty they can create.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If there\u2019s one player the Lions cannot afford to lose for an extended period, it\u2019s Branch. Detroit\u2019s season unraveled after losing him late in the year, and the team ultimately missed the playoffs. Since arriving in Detroit, Branch has consistently played at a Pro Bowl level and established himself as one of the defense\u2019s most important players.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebiglead.com\/nfl-ruling-stefon-diggs-personal-conduct-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">NFL makes ruling on Stefon Diggs personal conduct investigation<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Lions selected Branch with the 45th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and he made an immediate impact. In his NFL debut against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded his first career interception and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. That pick-six proved to be the difference as the Lions held on for a one-point victory.<\/p>\n<p><img data-od-added-loading=\"\" data-od-replaced- data-od-xpath=\"\/HTML\/BODY\/DIV[@class='elementor elementor-68004 elementor-location-single post-186637 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-nfl tag-brian-branch tag-detroit-lions tag-nfl mv-content-wrapper']\/*[3][self::DIV]\/*[1][self::DIV]\/*[2][self::DIV]\/*[2][self::DIV]\/*[1][self::DIV]\/*[10][self::FIGURE]\/*[1][self::IMG]\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01k5593qdm306ghcwgd7-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025.\" class=\"wp-image-90798\" \/>Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 \u2013 Junfu Han \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Branch helped propel Detroit to the NFC Championship Game during his rookie season, and his influence has only grown since then. In 2024, he earned Pro Bowl honors for his outstanding play as the Lions recorded a franchise-best 15 wins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question now is whether Branch can return to full strength in 2026 as Detroit attempts to bounce back from a disappointing finish.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NFL offseason has featured several star players working their way back from season-ending injuries suffered in 2025.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":817696,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[1524,146,113,2506,7,147,6],"class_list":["post-918020","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-lions","tag-brian-branch","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-lions","tag-detroitlions","tag-football","tag-lions","tag-nfl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116744427249821945","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/918020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=918020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/918020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/817696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=918020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=918020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=918020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}