Lions roster preview: Brian Branch is the key to secondary’s success

Brian Branch is already in the conversation as one of the top players on the Lions’ roster, yet he appears to only be scratching the surface of the player he can become.

Our 2024 Detroit Lions roster preview series continues with one of the most beloved players on the roster: Brian Branch.

Branch is already in the conversation as one of the top players on the Lions’ roster, yet he also appears to only be scratching the surface of the player he can become. Let’s take a look at how Branch’s rookie season played out and why expectations are extremely high for him in year two.

Previous previews: WR Kalif Raymond, TE Sam LaPorta, LT Taylor Decker, DE Aidan Hutchinson, DT DJ Reader, DT Alim McNeill, S Ifeatu Melifonwu

Brian Branch

Expectations heading into 2023

After a tremendous career at Alabama, Branch inexplicably slid to Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft, and it didn’t take long before the Lions made a move to trade up and acquire him. Despite being largely considered one of the best value picks of the draft, Branch’s path to the field was not entirely clear after the Lions returned starting safeties Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker, while also signing C.J. Gardner-Johnson for their nickel role.

When training camp started, Branch opened with the second team, working out of the slot. Day after day, Branch stood out with his instincts and ball skills, and it didn’t take long before coaches realized he was too talented to keep on the second team. After just a handful of practices, Branch was inserted into the starting lineup and bumped Gardner-Johnson to safety.

“You’re talking about a kid that played at a high level for one of the more historic programs in college football under an elite head coach in Nick Saban,” general manager Brad Holmes said. “And just the complexity on defense and to play that ‘STAR’ nickel position, that’s a lot of demands mentally and physically, (so, his early success) it’s not a surprise, really.”

Branch continued to ascend throughout camp and by the start of the regular season, it was clear he was the best nickel option on the roster, and arguably already the best player in the Lions’ secondary.

Actual role in 2023

Note: Stats are regular season only unless otherwise stated

15 games (9 starts): 738 defensive snaps (77% of available), 50 special teams (13%)
Stats: 74 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, sack, 3 QB hits, forced fumble, 3 interceptions, 13 passes defended
PFF defensive grade: 78.1 (17th out of 133 CBs who played at least 20% of snaps)
PFF coverage grade: 76.0 (23rd out of 133)
PFF run defense grade: 83.6 (8th out of 133)
PFF pressures: 8 (4th out of 133)
Awards: 5th in voting for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Branch began his NFL career with a bang. Not only did he knock aside every obstacle on his way into the starting lineup, but he pick-six’d Patrick Mahomes in the opener scoring a pivotal touchdown in the Lions’ upset that set the tone for the season. Fun fact: his game-worn jersey is in the Hall of Fame.

Following Week 2 injuries to Gardner-Johnson (landed on injured reserve) and Kerby Joseph, the Lions were forced to expand Branch’s role beyond the slot to include snaps in traditional safety sets. The Falcons were the next team on the Lions schedule and Branch once again found an opportunity to showcase what makes him special.

Late in the fourth quarter with the Lions up two touchdowns, Falcons’ rookie running back Bijan Robinson caught a dump-off in Branch’s zone and the Lions’ rookie tattooed him. Branch would be flagged, and later fined, for the hit but he felt it was important to send a message that he’s not afraid to hit anyone that comes into his zone.

“(Expletive) it,” Branch responded. “(Expletive) it. I’d rather show him that I’m not scared to tackle him, and I’ll take the flag, to be honest.”

Branch injured his ankle in Week 4 and missed the following two weeks, but after an acclimation game in Week 7, Branch was back to expanded duties in Weeks 8 through 13, seeing over 90+% of defensive snaps in each game.

In Week 14, the Lions once again revamped their secondary. Unhappy with the performances from safety Tracy Walker and corner Jerry Jacobs, the Lions inserted Ifeatu Melifonwu and Kindle Vildor into starting roles and scaled Branch back to only nickel duties. Melifonwu’s instant success afforded the Lions the opportunity to let Branch focus solely on honing his craft in the slot for the remainder of the season.

“The thing that I wanted to do with that player is let him focus in on one job,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said following Week 14. “I look at it the same way as when I had Chauncey (Gardner-Johnson) when I was in New Orleans. He was playing some safety, playing some nickel. Man, there was a lot within that because of what we asked those guys at that position to do. So I wanted to make sure to dial it back with him, let him focus on the nickel, let him play nickel.”

Glenn went on to clarify that this move was not because of how Branch was performing but more in line with wanting to make sure that the rookie was the best nickel corner he could be, even noting that this was the same method he used with Gardner-Johnson when he was a rookie with the Saints.

The move appeared to be the right one, as Branch finished the last month of the season with PFF overall grades of 67.8, 88.0, 76.1, and 70.5, along with coverage grades of 72.7 and above in each game. He would also finish the season as the most disruptive defensive back in the NFL, averaging an impactful play on 7.1% of his snaps.

“With Brian, all you had to do was watch the film,” Lions executive Chris Spielman said this summer. “The dude was maybe one of the best tacklers that I’ve seen. As far as if a guy did catch the ball, he’d eliminate yards after the catch. His coverage, his movement skills, [and] his instincts were off the charts. He’s just a great football player.”

In the playoffs, the Lions faced three very different offenses and Branch’s usage varied between games. Against the Rams’ three-wide receiver sets, Branch almost never left the field (98% of defensive snaps) and played exclusively in his nickel role. Against the more traditional Buccaneers offense, Branch once again stayed in the slot and saw 83% of defensive snaps. Against the 49ers run-first offense, the Lions shifted their defense to a heavy front, deploying three linebackers and reducing their nickel role, which led to Branch playing only 41% of snaps, his lowest output of the season.

There were a lot of lessons to be learned from the NFC Championship but one of the biggest is that playing your best tackler, your best player in the secondary, and arguably your second-best defensive player on less than half your snaps because you’ve slotted him into a nickel-only position, is not an ideal use of resources.

Outlook for 2024

Lions coaches continue to draw parallels between Branch’s and Gardner-Johnson’s skill set, mentality, and position flexibility, and appear to be pushing for the same developmental arc.

“Ducey (Gardner-Johnson) was the same way when we got him in New Orleans,” coach Dan Campbell said. “It was, ‘Man, is he a safety (or) nickel?’ When we just let him play nickel, he just really exploded. Now you see, here he is later in his career and he can really do both. He really grew in both areas. It’s just a matter of how fast he can get there.”

With Lions asking Branch to take the time in 2023 to fully understand the nickel role, both sides appear ready to once again expand his role in 2024.

“Now he’s been in the system a year. He understands,” Campbell said of Branch. “He has got a whole (new) understanding of the nickel position, which helps. Now, he can start really diving into the safety (position).”

That dive into the safety position hit a bit of a snag this offseason, as Branch had a clean-up procedure that required him to wear a walking boot and use a scooter, resulting in him subsequently missing OTA/Minicamp. But despite the missed time, the Lions feel confident he is progressing well.

“He had a little cleanup there,” Campbell said of Branch. “Something that, coming out of last year, thought he might heal, and then it just ended up being, ‘We better get this thing done.’ So that’s where he’s at. That and I think he likes riding scooters. But we feel like he’s progressing well. We feel like he’ll be ready to go in [training] camp. If not, early enough it’ll be—certainly he’ll get enough reps to be ready for the season. That’s how we feel right now.”

Once Branch is able to return to the field, don’t be surprised if they immediately begin cross-training him at nickel and safety. For those who subscribe to the PODD newsletter, Jeremy Reisman and I spent the better part of an hour discussing the different ways the Lions could use Branch moving forward, but for the non-subscribers, let’s hit some of the highlights.

First, to be clear, Branch is still going to get a lot of looks in the slot because he is really, really good in this role. Sometimes this will be out of a five-defensive back/three-safety look, and other times it could come out of the Lions’ base formation.

In the picture below (from the Lions’ playoff game vs. the Buccaneers) you can see a standard five-defensive back look with Branch in the nickel, which was common in 2023 and should be again in 2024.

In the next picture, Kerby Joseph (No. 31) is in single-high and the second safety (Ifeatu Melifonwu, No. 6) has dropped in the slot—which is where Branch would presumably line up in one of the Lions’ base sets.

There will, of course, also likely be times when Branch will play a deep safety role in base sets (two safeties), as this is a method to keep him on the field and avoid a situation similar to what happened in San Francisco. Additionally, there will also be times when Branch sticks deep and the Lions bring on a traditional corner—like Amik Robertson or Ennis Rakestraw—to play in the nickel role.

But where things really get fun is when you look back at the end of the 2023 season and key in on how the Lions use Gardner-Johnson. As we’ve discussed multiple times in this article, that appears to be the blueprint for Branch in 2024 and beyond.

In the picture below, the Lions drop Joseph into a single-high and deploy two safeties into the slot. Branch holds down one spot, while Gardner-Johnson (No. 2) would likely see his role filled by Melifonwu.

In the next pictures, the Lions deployed four safeties on third downs—but don’t expect that positional deployment to hold in 2024. Instead, in order to maximize their talent, it’ll likely be three safeties and three corners (including a nickel). In the two situations below, Branch would likely line up in Gardner-Johnson’s (No. 2) role and the Lions would have Robertson/Rakestraw in at his (No. 32) spot. This allows the Lions to put a more natural “cover” player on a receiver and allow Branch to be the jack-of-all-trades.

While it’s easy to think that the Lions won’t alter their defensive formations this frequently, you may be surprised to learn that all five of the above pictures came during the first 12 plays of the divisional playoff round.

The Lions are a matchup-based defense, and while they can show you a lot of different looks in the secondary, most starters play static roles. Outside corners (like Terrion Arnold and Carlton Davis) will play on the outside the majority—if not all—of the time. Kerby Joseph’s exceptional range makes him the default center fielder when they shift to single-high looks, leaving Branch as the position-flexible player who allows for flexibility in the back-seven. Yes, several other players in the secondary can play multiple spots—Melifonwu, Robertson, and Rakestraw have all been previously mentioned—but none of them can do it at Branch’s level.

At the end of the day, regardless of the defensive set the Lions want to run, there should always be a spot on the field that belongs to Brian Branch.