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Lions expect Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph back after PUP stints
Both safeties are rehabbing injuries and will miss at least the first four games, while Detroit hopes to get them back later this season.
- On Sunday, the Detroit Lions placed starting safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch on the Reserve/PUP list, forcing both to miss at least the first four games of the 2026 season.
- Joseph battled a chronic knee injury that worsened during training camp last year, missing the final 11 games of 2025, while Branch sustained a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 14 against the Dallas Cowboys on December 4.
- Lions general manager Brad Holmes said Wednesday, "We still have confidence that they can come back, we just can't really give an exact timeline," citing the duo's first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.
- Veteran Chuck Clark, who previously played for the Ravens and Jets, joins Avonte Maddox and Thomas Harper in Detroit's safety rotation as the Lions open September 13 against the New Orleans Saints.
- Neither Joseph nor Branch can play until Week 5 at the Arizona Cardinals on October 11, though both can return to practice September 18; contract extensions for Branch and tight end Sam LaPorta loom as they enter the final year of their rookie deals in 2026.
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Brian Branch expected to play for Lions after starting on PUP list
When the Detroit Lions open up the 2026 NFL season in a few weeks, they’ll be missing a few of their key defenders. Both Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph will begin 2026 on the reserve/PUP list which means they’ll be out for the first four games of the season. After that, their status may be updated and if healthy, put on the active roster.
·Birmingham, United States
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Lions expect Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph back after PUP stints
·London, United Kingdom
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources11
Leaning Left1Leaning Right2Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution62% Center
Bias Distribution
- 62% of the sources are Center
62% Center
13%
C 62%
R 25%
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