news-engine

The Detroit Lions have spent most of the summer waiting on Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. On Sunday, waiting is no longer an option. Detroit must establish its initial 53-man roster by 6 p.m. ET, forcing Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes to make an important decision involving their two starting safeties. Branch and Joseph remain on the Physically Unable to Perform list, and the Lions must determine whether either player is healthy enough to activate or whether both should open the regular season on Reserve/PUP. The decision carries consequences well beyond Sunday’s roster math. Branch and Joseph Are Approaching the Finish Line Branch has spent the summer recovering from the torn Achilles he suffered against Dallas last December. His rehabilitation has remained on schedule, but Detroit has been careful not to rush one of the most important players on its defense. Campbell offered an encouraging timeline when training camp opened. “Branch is doing well. I’m sure late training camp, maybe early September he can start practicing, we’ll see. But he’s doing well,” Campbell said. That timeline has held relatively steady. Branch has continued working with Detroit’s medical staff, and early September remains a reasonable target for getting him back onto the practice field. Actual game action could still require additional ramp-up time. Joseph’s recovery from his knee injury has followed a similar path. He has also been away from the team while dealing with an undisclosed personal matter, but Campbell has made clear that his rehabilitation has continued progressing. “To me, if we got him back for the first game, that would be a bonus. That would be like, ‘Woah, OK.’ I don’t expect that. I’m not looking for that. I feel like he’s more on the Branch plan, a little bit, and that’s if everything goes well, everything goes according to plan with him and we get everything on our side. But he’s doing well,” Campbell said. Detroit’s most recent update on Branch and Joseph made the dilemma clear: neither player appears likely to be ready for Week 1, but being unavailable for one game is much different than automatically missing four. The New PUP Rule Changes the Calculation If Detroit leaves Branch or Joseph on Reserve/PUP, that player must miss at least the first four regular-season games. There is a new wrinkle in 2026, however. Players beginning the year on Reserve/PUP can now start their 21-day practice window after their team’s second regular-season game, even though they remain ineligible to play until after Game 4. That gives teams an opportunity to begin the conditioning and football ramp-up process earlier than under the previous rule. The revised PUP rules could directly influence Detroit’s decision. For Branch in particular, that could fit reasonably well with his projected timeline. If Detroit does not believe he would realistically be game-ready before October anyway, using Reserve/PUP saves an active roster position without necessarily delaying his return very much. Joseph presents a slightly different question because there has been optimism he could potentially return during the early portion of the season. If the Lions believe he could play in Week 2 or Week 3, activating him Sunday becomes much more attractive. Two Decisions That Affect the Entire Secondary These are not isolated injury decisions. Detroit’s final roster battles have been heavily influenced by uncertainty in the secondary. Chuck Clark and Avonte Maddox have handled extensive safety work throughout camp, while Christian Izien, Thomas Harper and others have been part of a secondary trying to remain functional without two of its biggest pieces. Keeping Branch and Joseph on PUP would also give Holmes two additional spots when constructing the initial 53. That could be the difference between keeping an extra cornerback, offensive lineman or defensive lineman and exposing one to waivers. That roster flexibility became even more important after Saturday’s 25-16 preseason victory over Indianapolis, when several bubble players made strong final arguments to stick around. Those extra roster spots have value. So do Branch and Joseph. Sunday’s Decision Will Tell Us Plenty The Lions do not need Branch or Joseph to be ready for New Orleans on Sept. 13 to activate them Sunday. They simply need to believe one of them will be ready before waiting four games becomes unnecessary. That is the calculation Campbell and Holmes now have to make. If both remain on PUP, Detroit will essentially be acknowledging that patience is more valuable than preserving the possibility of an earlier return. If one is activated, it will be a strong indication the Lions believe that player is closer than the public timeline may suggest. Either way, Sunday should finally provide an answer. Detroit has spent the entire summer waiting for Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph. Now the Lions have to decide exactly how much longer they are willing to wait.