First looks at rehab for Lions safety Brian Branch’s Achilles injury

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 04: Brian Branch #32 of the Detroit Lions is helped off of the field during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on December 4, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images Last week, Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell provided a vague injury update for Lions safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, along with tight end Sam LaPorta.

class="has-text-align-none">“They’re all improving. None of them are practicing,” Campbell said ahead of the third OTA practice for the team. “It’s the best I can tell you.”

class="has-text-align-none">At this point, there is no clear timeline for any of those players’ returns to the field, but this week we did get some visual progress for Branch.

class="has-text-align-none">The Lions’ Pro Bowl safety suffered a torn Achilles in early December, and it’s basically been radio silence since. However, a couple of Instagram pages this week shared photos and videos of Branch’s rehab process. First, the Instagram page _rockofficial shared a pair of photos of him working with a medicine ball and flipping a tire.

Brian Branch LOADING 🔋

via : _rockofficial / IG https://t.co/C12rjd3I7Wpic.twitter.com/LJR3FhEsrd

— Woodward Sports Network (@woodwardsports) June 2, 2026That account belongs to Christian Van Buren, a former college football player and current “performance specialist.”

class="has-text-align-none">Additionally, Branch was featured in a promotional video for the Dallas Sports Physical Therapy Clinic’s Instagram page (AKA Athlete RX), where he talks about his recovery from the Achilles injury.

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style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 14px; width: 144px;">“That three years with a strong enough relationship where any injury I had, I know they would get me right—not just get me right, but get me back quicker, too” Branch said. “Them being who they are and just me trusting them, they helped me a long way.”

class="has-text-align-none">Later he would add:

class="has-text-align-none">“From doing rehab and going to the field, I feel like it’s easy working with them. I pretty much do a lot in here, like stuff I would do on the field, and by the time I get on the field, it’s pretty much like making a layup,” Branch said.

class="has-text-align-none">It’s not much, but it’s at least a sign of progress. And with Colts quarterback Daniel Jones—who suffered an Achilles tear less than a week after Branch—being medically cleared to return to 7-on-7s, perhaps there’s a little more optimism now for Branch to return sooner rather than later.