Lions’ Brian Branch ‘progressing well’ after surgery, out until camp
Brian Branch will miss the rest of organized team activities and next month’s minicamp after undergoing surgery on his lower left leg but should return some time in training camp this summer, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday.
“He had a little cleanup there,” Campbell said. “Something that coming out of last year, that thought it might heal and then it just ended up being, you know, we better get this thing done. So anyway, that’s where he’s at. That and I think he likes riding the scooter. But we feel like he’s progressing well. We feel like he’ll be ready to go in camp, if not early enough, certainly he’ll get enough reps to be ready for the season. That’s how we feel right now.”
Branch watched a portion of Thursday’s OTA practice with his left foot in a boot while riding a knee scooter, but disappeared inside the Lions’ training facility before practice was over and was not available for interviews.
A second-round pick out of Alabama last season, Branch had 74 tackles and three interceptions in 15 games and tied for fifth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He missed two games after injuring his right ankle in a Week 4 win over the Green Bay Packers and was flagged for concerns about a foot injury coming out of college.
Branch told the Free Press in February he had mixed feelings about his play as a rookie and already was looking forward to the 2024 season.
“I had my ups and downs and I feel like I left a lot of plays out there on the table that I was supposed to make,” he said. “I’m still thinking about that and I’m not kind of proud of that, and I feel like my next year is going to have to be my biggest year.”
Along with Branch, the Lions are without starting safety Kerby Joseph this spring as he recovers from offseason hip surgery. Joseph spent part of Thursday’s practice running on the side with trainers.
Rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. also did not take part in team drills Thursday, though Campbell downplayed the extent of their injuries.
Carlton Davis, Amik Robertson and Kindle Vildor took first-team reps at cornerback Thursday, with Robertson working primarily out of the slot.
“We’re being smart with both of those guys,” Campbell said of Arnold and Rakestraw. “Just a couple of little things popped up, nothing to panic about. But that’s kind of the beauty of it, especially when they come back. (Brad Holmes has) done such a good job on the back end now, we’ve got a lot of competition back there. And then it’s, ‘Man, who can do this?’ And that’s just the beginning of this. OK, Amik (is playing) at nickel. We know Amik can play outside, too, but then what about Rakestraw or Arnold or (Khalil) Dorse(y), Vildor? We’ve just, we’ve got options. So that’s kind of what we’re tinkering with a little but right now. It is exciting, though. It’s pretty fun right now.”