Lions' Brian Branch: Tests reveal torn Achilles

Branch tore his Achilles in Thursday's Week 14 win over the Cowboys, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Reports surfaced earlier Friday that there were fears Branch's injury was to his Achilles, and testing has now confirmed that diagnosis. Return to game action from an Achilles tear typically takes an NFL player at least nine months, and often longer, so Branch will be out for the remainder of this season and could be sidelined into the beginning of the 2026 campaign as well. This is a brutal blow to Detroit's secondary, though it could be softened a bit if Kerby Joseph, who has missed the team's past seven games due to a knee injury, is able to return in Week 15. Thomas Harper (concussion) figures to continue to start with Branch now sidelined (if the former is able to clear concussion protocol), and Daniel Thomas could pick up a significant amount of work as well, especially if Joseph remains out.