Detroit Lions safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph are beginning the 2026 season on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, meaning the earliest either player can return is Detroit's Week 5 contest at the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 11.
The first four weeks of Detroit's schedule include games against the New Orleans Saints (Week 1), Buffalo Bills (Week 2), New York Jets (Week 3) and Carolina Panthers (Week 4). After playing the Cardinals on the road, the Lions have a bye in Week 6 before hosting the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.
Branch (Achilles) and Joseph (knee) haven't practiced this offseason. Lions coach Dan Campbell on July 29 said Branch could potentially begin practicing "late (in) training camp, maybe early September," and he added Joseph was "on the Branch plan a little bit, and that's if everything goes well and everything goes according to plan with him and we've got everything on our side."
The latest update from Campbell came on Aug. 27, when he was asked if any decisions had been made regarding whether Branch and Joseph would start on the PUP list: "Brad (Holmes) and I will discuss all that over the next, call it, three or four days here. We're going to start kind of meeting this afternoon after all this and start going through it. I'm not going to be able to give you a definitive answer right now. Both of those guys are doing well right now."
A new rule this season that could be relevant: Players who begin the season on PUP still have to miss four games, but they can start practicing with the team after Week 2. Previously, those players couldn't return to practice until after Week 4.
#week #branch #four #everything
The first four weeks of Detroit's schedule include games against the New Orleans Saints (Week 1), Buffalo Bills (Week 2), New York Jets (Week 3) and Carolina Panthers (Week 4). After playing the Cardinals on the road, the Lions have a bye in Week 6 before hosting the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.
Branch (Achilles) and Joseph (knee) haven't practiced this offseason. Lions coach Dan Campbell on July 29 said Branch could potentially begin practicing "late (in) training camp, maybe early September," and he added Joseph was "on the Branch plan a little bit, and that's if everything goes well and everything goes according to plan with him and we've got everything on our side."
The latest update from Campbell came on Aug. 27, when he was asked if any decisions had been made regarding whether Branch and Joseph would start on the PUP list: "Brad (Holmes) and I will discuss all that over the next, call it, three or four days here. We're going to start kind of meeting this afternoon after all this and start going through it. I'm not going to be able to give you a definitive answer right now. Both of those guys are doing well right now."
A new rule this season that could be relevant: Players who begin the season on PUP still have to miss four games, but they can start practicing with the team after Week 2. Previously, those players couldn't return to practice until after Week 4.
#week #branch #four #everything
2 months ago
