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S · Detroit Lions · week 7 vs Green Bay Packers · Sun Oct 25 · 4:25 PM ET

Brian Branch

  • ROLE a starter
  • CLASS 2023 · R2 P45
  • EXP 3 seasons
  • AGE under 25
  • DEPTH SS1

As of week 7, Brian Branch was a CB for DET, age 24.9, 3 seasons of experience, drafted in round 2. In 2026 through week 6 he was listed at depth rank 1 on his club's depth chart. Before 2026 he played 47 games (postseason included) over 3 seasons with 1 Pro Bowl. His injury history held 8 episodes (ankle 2, achilles 1, calf 1), 2 of them reaching OUT, 1 a repeat of an earlier site; the last was an achilles injury in 2025 week 15.

The full read

In short

Brian Branch is a starter at strong safety for DET — 67% of the snaps in his best week of 1. He has an achilles injury. In week 7 he practised in full every day the report covers. His team has listed him Questionable. We called him PLAY in week 5 and he did not play.

The reader dissents · grade A

P1 reports the Lions activated Branch from injured reserve on Saturday 24 Oct, 'clearing the way for both players to make their season debut Sunday, Oct. 25, against the Green Bay Packers,' with Campbell indicating he is in line for a big role. P2 independently confirms the activation and, crucially, states the club 'removed' the questionable designation after activating him, so the Questionable tag the model weighed no longer stands. P5, the opponent club's own report, shows he was a full participant all week with only an Achilles history, and P3 records the coaching staff already planning the safety rotation around him, so the Achilles is a resolved historical injury rather than a current doubt.

What the read cites

What was reportedSource
1“The Detroit Lions activated Brian Branch from injured reserve and Cade Mays from the physically unable to perform list on Saturday, Oct. 24, clearing the way for both players to make their season debut Sunday, Oct. 25, against the Green Bay Packers.”Detroit Free Press · 2026-10-24
2“Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated this week both players are in line for big roles Sunday”Detroit Free Press · 2026-10-24
3“The Lions listed both players as questionable on Friday's injury report, but removed them after being activated.”Detroit News · 2026-10-24
4“Lions safety Brian Branch (Achilles) and center Cade Mays (wrist) were full participants in practice this week”Green Bay Packers · 2026-10-23
5“We now know that the Detroit Lions plan to play Brian Branch this week against the Green Bay Packers”Pride Of Detroit · 2026-10-21

His team's word: Questionable

This is the TEAM'S OWN ANNOUNCEMENT, not a reading of ours. His team filed him on the injury report and we are restating it so the record is complete. There is nothing early about repeating an announcement — what we say ahead of one is on the week's page. Source: his team's reserve list (injured reserve, PUP, NFI, suspended).

Practice in week 7

FriThu
FPdated Fri Oct 23FPdated Fri Oct 23

Shape of the week: steady. Only days the publisher dated are shown; a day we could not date is left out until the nightly sweep stamps it. The shape is a fact, not a forecast.

Head start

  • His club's word
  • Kickoff

Stats, with ranges

fewer than 2 games this season

Snaps by week — his larger of the offence and defence share

  1. 67%wk 7

Missed while on the injury report

SeasonWeeks on the reportMissed while listed
202621

Only the weeks he was on the injury report with a recorded result — not every game of his career.

Medical history

WhenInjuryWeeks on a reportWorst status
2026 · wk 5achilles2Out
2025 · wk 15achilles1Out
2025 · wk 12toe3Questionable
2025 · wk 6ankle1Questionable
2024 · wk 16calf1Questionable
2024 · wk 7knee1—
2024 · wk 4illness2Doubtful
2023 · wk 19wrist1—
2023 · wk 5ankle3Out

Every injury episode on file for him, as the record holds it.

Injury history by season · 9 episodes · 15 weeks on a report · same site more than once: achilles ×2

  • ruled out
  • doubtful
  • questionable
  • listed, and played

Each bar is one episode: the week it began and how many weeks he was on a report, coloured by the worst status. One that began after week 18 is in the table above and not drawn here.

Our past calls vs what happened

Wk 5PLAY 95% ✗ missbefore his team said anything; did not play
Wk 7not ourshis club's word, restated; played

Season on him: 0 of 1 graded call of ours right. Graded by the record: right or a miss against whether he played. A week we did not call, or his club's own word, is not graded.

The rest of his team's report in week 7

PlayerPosPracticeWhose wordCallChance he playsBand
Avonte MaddoxFSUNKteam's word—
Tom KennedyWRUNKteam's word—
Rock Ya-SinCBFULLoursPLAY88%EXPECTED
Devin WhiteLBUNKteam's word—
Ben BartchOTUNKteam's word—
Payton TurnerDEUNKteam's word—
Isiah PachecoRBUNKteam's word—
Damone ClarkLBUNKteam's word—
Cade MaysCFULLteam's wordQuestionable
Kerby JosephSAFUNKteam's word—
Giovanni ManuOLUNKteam's word—
Mekhi WingoDTUNKteam's word—
Thomas HarperSAFUNKteam's word—
Seth McLaughlinCUNKteam's word—
Jackson MeeksTEUNKteam's word—
Ahmed HassaneinDEUNKteam's word—
Bishop FitzgeraldSAFUNKteam's word—
Kendrick LawWRUNKteam's word—

The model reads the room: who else is out shifts what his own designation is worth.

The evidence behind his earlier calls

The evidence behind the call made Sun Oct 18 · 7:41 AM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Sun Oct 18 · 12:03 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Sun Oct 18 · 5:06 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Mon Oct 19 · 7:03 AM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Mon Oct 19 · 12:03 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Mon Oct 19 · 5:03 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Tue Oct 20 · 7:02 AM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Tue Oct 20 · 12:05 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Tue Oct 20 · 5:05 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Wed Oct 21 · 1:00 AM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Wed Oct 21 · 7:02 AM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Wed Oct 21 · 12:02 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Wed Oct 21 · 5:05 PM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Thu Oct 22 · 2:10 AM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Thu Oct 22 · 7:02 AM ET

We have not read the news for this player this week.

The evidence behind the call made Thu Oct 22 · 12:05 PM ET

What was reportedSource
“Lions safety Brian Branch, who will return to action this week”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21
“Brian Branch has also been on the shelf since Dec. 2025 because of a torn Achilles that ended his season.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

Matched on part of his name only (a teammate or someone with the same surname can share it)

What was reportedSource
“The team expects Branch to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Ford Field.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

The evidence behind the call made Thu Oct 22 · 4:31 PM ET

What was reportedSource
“Lions safety Brian Branch, who will return to action this week”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21
“Brian Branch has also been on the shelf since Dec. 2025 because of a torn Achilles that ended his season.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

Matched on part of his name only (a teammate or someone with the same surname can share it)

What was reportedSource
“The team expects Branch to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Ford Field.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

The evidence behind the call made Thu Oct 22 · 5:05 PM ET

What was reportedSource
“Lions safety Brian Branch, who will return to action this week”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21
“Brian Branch has also been on the shelf since Dec. 2025 because of a torn Achilles that ended his season.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

Matched on part of his name only (a teammate or someone with the same surname can share it)

What was reportedSource
“The team expects Branch to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Ford Field.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

The evidence behind the call made Sat Oct 24 · 12:11 AM ET

What was reportedSource
“We now know that the Detroit Lions plan to play Brian Branch this week against the Green Bay Packers, marking the end of his 10+ month rehab after tearing his Achilles last season.”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21
“Lions safety Brian Branch, who will return to action this week”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21

Matched on part of his name only (a teammate or someone with the same surname can share it)

What was reportedSource
“The team expects Branch to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Ford Field.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

The evidence behind the call made Sat Oct 24 · 2:10 AM ET

What was reportedSource
“We now know that the Detroit Lions plan to play Brian Branch this week against the Green Bay Packers, marking the end of his 10+ month rehab after tearing his Achilles last season.”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21
“Lions safety Brian Branch, who will return to action this week”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21

Matched on part of his name only (a teammate or someone with the same surname can share it)

What was reportedSource
“The team expects Branch to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Ford Field.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

The evidence behind the call made Sat Oct 24 · 7:02 AM ET

What was reportedSource
“We now know that the Detroit Lions plan to play Brian Branch this week against the Green Bay Packers, marking the end of his 10+ month rehab after tearing his Achilles last season.”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21
“Lions safety Brian Branch, who will return to action this week”Pride Of Detroit · Wed Oct 21

Matched on part of his name only (a teammate or someone with the same surname can share it)

What was reportedSource
“The team expects Branch to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Ford Field.”Detroit News · Tue Oct 20

The evidence behind the call made Sat Oct 24 · 12:02 PM ET

What was reportedSource
“Lions safety Brian Branch (Achilles) and center Cade Mays (wrist) were full participants in practice this week but are both questionable for Sunday.”Green Bay Packers · Fri Oct 23
“safety Brian Branch, who are both coming off time on the injury lists, are listed as questionable for the Lions”Acme Packing Company · Fri Oct 23
“the other two spots being held for the return of safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays from their respective injury lists”Pride Of Detroit · Thu Oct 22

The evidence behind the call made Sat Oct 24 · 5:02 PM ET

What was reportedSource
“Lions safety Brian Branch (Achilles) and center Cade Mays (wrist) were full participants in practice this week but are both questionable for Sunday.”Green Bay Packers · Fri Oct 23
“safety Brian Branch, who are both coming off time on the injury lists, are listed as questionable for the Lions”Acme Packing Company · Fri Oct 23
“the other two spots being held for the return of safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays from their respective injury lists”Pride Of Detroit · Thu Oct 22

The evidence behind the call made Sun Oct 25 · 7:05 AM ET

What was reportedSource
“Lions safety Brian Branch (Achilles) and center Cade Mays (wrist) were full participants in practice this week but are both questionable for Sunday.”Green Bay Packers · Fri Oct 23
“safety Brian Branch, who are both coming off time on the injury lists, are listed as questionable for the Lions”Acme Packing Company · Fri Oct 23
“the other two spots being held for the return of safety Brian Branch and center Cade Mays from their respective injury lists”Pride Of Detroit · Thu Oct 22

The evidence behind the call made Sun Oct 25 · 12:05 PM ET

What was reportedSource
“The Detroit Lions activated Brian Branch from injured reserve and Cade Mays from the physically unable to perform list on Saturday, Oct. 24, clearing the way for both players to make their season debut Sunday, Oct. 25, against the Green Bay Packers.”Detroit Free Press · Sat Oct 24

From the same articles (these quotes do not name him)

What was reportedSource
“Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated this week both players are in line for big roles Sunday”Detroit Free Press · Sat Oct 24
“The Lions listed both players as questionable on Friday's injury report, but removed them after being activated.”Detroit News · Sat Oct 24
The data behind this page — the timeline in words, every call and week on record, about him, and what this page does not show

Profile — as of week 7

RoleCB1
Season2026 · no games on file through wk 6
Career3 seasons · 47 games before 2026
Honors1× Pro Bowl
Injuries8 episodes · last: achilles, 2025 wk 15
Bioage 24.9 · 3 seasons' experience · drafted round 2

Where the profile comes from

Built from: honors.db; nflverse injuries_2026.csv; medical.db; nflverse players.csv; profile.db; nflverse roster_2026.csv; nflverse roster_weekly_2026.csv; nflverse snap_counts_2026.csv; nflverse stats_player_week_2026.csv. Every number in it is one those sources hold.

nflverse injuries_2026.csv

About him

About himAs the record holds it
His rolea starter at strong safety — 67% of the snaps in his best week of 1
Listed on the depth chartfirst at strong safety
Snaps played67% a week on average over 1 week, 67% at his highest
Build6 ft 0 in · 203 lb
CollegeAlabama
Drafted2023, round 2 pick 45, by DET
Ageunder 25 at the season's start
Experience3 seasons

When this call was made, and when the world knew

  1. Team reportHis team listed him Questionable.
  2. PublicHis team's word was public as soon as it was filed.
  3. KickoffKickoff.

We went and found out more

Rank 3 (listed third or deeper, or not listed), 5 documents deep, because: llm_dissents. Fetched 5 of 5.

His record this season

WkPracticeChance he playsCallSourcePlayed
5LTD95%PLAYbefore his team said anythingno
7UNK—his team's wordhis team's Out, as ESPN's injury report carries it (the league's report had not yet)yes

A blank in Played is a week not yet settled — never a no.