Following their win over the Dallas Cowboys to kick off Week 14, the Detroit Lions were hit with some unfortunate news regarding standout safety Brian Branch. Branch reportedly sustained a torn Achilles tendon, effectively ending his 2025 season.
With Kerby Joseph still out, the Branch injury was the last thing the Lions wanted to see, as their safety depth was already thin. As things currently stand, Detroit is left with Thomas Harper, Avonte Maddox, and Daniel Thomas.
Harper has been starting in place of Joseph, leaving Maddox as the logical option to step in for the injured Branch. However, on Monday, the Lions decided to bring in a veteran reinforcement, who will hopefully help them for the final stretch.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Detroit is signing veteran safety Damontae Kazee to the practice squad. The NFL insider also notes that the plan for Kazee is for a quick elevation to the active roster when he’s ready.
The 32-year-old Kazee was most recently with the Cleveland Browns, where he played in four games, so he’s in game shape. The Browns cut ties with Kazee at the beginning of last month after signing him in free agency in the offseason to a one-year deal.
Lions Will Get Another Look at Avonte Maddox
With Kazee now on board, it will be interesting to see which direction the Lions go for the final regular-season games. Kazee didn’t play much on defense with the Browns, as Cleveland put him on special team duties. However, in his previous three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kazee started in 14 of 38 games.
But since he’s not ready yet to play, Detroit can get a good look at Maddox, Loren Strickland, and Erick Hallett, the latter two of whom are on the practice squad.
Maddox, whom the Lions signed to a one-year deal this offseason, was a Godsend in their win over the Cowboys. With Harper banged up, Detroit called upon Maddox, who had seven total tackles, a pass breakup, and only gave up two completions for eight yards, per Al Karsten of Pride of Detroit.
He did this playing a career-high 80 snaps, including 70 at free safety against one of the more high-powered offenses in the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Maddox recorded a 90.3 overall grade (highest among Lions defensive players) and an 83.4 coverage grade.
Even with the Kazee signing, one has to think that Maddox will get the first shot to start in Week 15 as he gives the Lions a versatile defender who can play safety, but also the slot. His calling card in Philadelphia was a nickel back.
Lions Can't Forget About Erick Hallett and Loren Strickland in Safety Mix
At the same time, the Lions should also see what Hallett and Strickland can bring to the table with Branch down.
The 25-year-old Hallett has appeared in two games this season and made his first career start in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hallett played OK in the primetime win, racking up eight combined tackles across 64 defensive snaps.
As for what he did in pass coverage, the 5-foot-11 safety allowed six completions (nine targets) for 75 yards and had a 92.4 passer rating. Hallett also had three missed tackles.
Meanwhile, Strickland has also appeared in two games with the Lions this season, but he has played mostly on special teams (33 snaps) compared to 11 on defense. Last season, Strickland was primarily used on special teams, playing 45% of snaps across seven games.
Even though it's not the greatest collection of names at safety, Detroit has some options that they can play around with over the next few weeks as they try to do their best to fill the void left by Branch.