The Detroit Lions got some clarity Friday on when they expect safety Brian Branch and Cade Mays to return, and Lions fans hoping to see either player against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday probably need to adjust their expectations.

On Thursday, Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard said he believes Branch could have played Thursday night had Detroit had a game. That opened the door to an obvious question. What if the Lions have Branch ready to go Sunday against Arizona?

Lions coach Dan Campbell answered that on Friday, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

Campbell calls a Sunday return a ‘tall order’

Campbell called it a tall order that either Mays or Branch would play Sunday. That being said, he likes where both players are right now, and he said Branch has looked good in his two practices.

Campbell said:

“He’s looked good for 2 days. He’s looked good. I think that’s a tall order for this week. Want to be as smart as we can with him. He— we got— we’re going to work him back in. And, uh, and make sure that he gets enough reps and we all collectively feel like, all right, we’re ready. So love where he’s at right now.”

You can understand why the Lions would take it slow. Both Branch and Mays were limited practice participants this week. Neither has been a full participant, and Detroit doesn’t have a reason to rush them onto the field after just a couple of days of work.

So when are Branch and Mays coming back?

That’s the real question, and it’s one I’ve been thinking about for a while.

You have to understand how the Lions handle guys coming back from injuries. They like to use a ramp-up period that usually runs two to three weeks, and more often than not, it’s closer to three. That made me wonder about the timeline. Detroit goes into its bye after the Cardinals game, which means there aren’t really practices next week.

So there were two ways this could go. The first option is that Branch and Mays spend the bye in the building, work with the trainers, get back into football shape, and return against the Green Bay Packers in Week 7. The second option is that the Lions use Green Bay week as a practice week, and the two return in Week 8 against the Minnesota Vikings.

Nothing is set in stone. But Campbell’s comments point toward the first option. Here’s what he said about the plan for the bye week:

“Now, they’ll be here, but you’re right, it won’t be football. You know, they won’t have other teammates around. We’re running plays, all that stuff. But they’re going to be here, continue to condition, get ready, as football stuff as they can do without it being that with the training staff. And then, man, let’s get them going Green Bay week. You know, let’s get them going and then we’ll assess. Hopefully by midweek we’ll have a pretty good idea. We’d love to get them ready to go versus Green Bay, I think, right after the bye.”

What it means for the Lions

So there you go. The Lions want both of these guys back against Green Bay.

Now, that doesn’t mean both will actually be on the field against the Packers. Campbell made it clear the team will assess things during that week, and he’s hoping to have a good idea by midweek. But it looks like Detroit is gearing everything toward that outcome.

If you were hoping to get either player back this week, it more than likely isn’t happening. The good thing is the timing lines up well. Coming out of the bye against a division rival, the Lions are going to want every piece they can get on defense, and getting Branch back in particular would be huge.

We’ll find out in about two weeks. Let’s see how it plays out.

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