The Detroit Lions are desperate for help on defense. But instead of making moves as the fans expect (rightly so), it looks like reinforcements are about to come from inside the building, starting with star safety Brian Branch.
The veteran strong safety tore his ACL last season and hasn't played in the past 10 months. However, he continues to make strides in his recovery, finally practicing for the first time since the tough loss to the Carolina Panthers.
While Branch won't take the field on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, it won't be long before he returns. When asked about his timeline, defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard teased a potential return this Sunday.
Brian Branch could return in Week 5, but should he?
"If we were playing tonight, it'd be realistic," Sheppard said (h/t Colton Pouncy).
The Lions will have their bye week after the game vs. the Cardinals. Head coach Dan Campbell admitted he will use the additional time to review everything and reflect on potential changes, including adding a senior defensive assistant.
While Campbell hasn't even thought about parting ways with Sheppard, the unit's performance has been unacceptable. Then again, to be fair, not having Branch and Kerby Joseph has been a big blow, and general manager Brad Holmes hasn't made any moves to help, so the coaches might be getting a bit desperate.
That doesn't mean they should rush their star safety back into action. As bad as they've been on defense, waiting until after the bye week would give him an additional seven days to get his legs back under him, avoid a setback, and be right on point to face the Green Bay Packers.
Joseph is still working his way back, but there's still no timetable for his return, though Branch sounded optimistic when asked about him. Even so, given how much Christian Izien has struggled, getting Branch back on the field will be huge.
Branch didn't get a contract extension this offseason, so there will be even more motivation to be at his best. He's already proven to be one of the most dynamic and disruptive strong safeties in the game when he's at his best.
He can put pressure on the quarterback as an additional blitzer and pass rusher, is an elite run stopper when lining up close to the line of scrimmage, and can drop back in coverage with the same ease he stacks up the box.
Of course, it will take much more than just one player to fix this dreadful defense, but Branch is dynamic and versatile enough to make life much easier for the dreaded cornerback room. Maybe, with Joseph also back in the fold, they will only need to make a trade for a cornerback to put these woes behind them.
And if that happens against the Packers, even better. They've already waited 10 months, so why not wait another two weeks? He's too valuable to this defense, and this team must take a big-picture approach here, especially with a potential contract extension looming large.
Add us as a preferred source on Google