Brian Branch’s return changes the Lions’ entire safety plan, and Dan Campbell just hinted at who starts next to him
Branch’s versatility gives Detroit options it hasn’t had all season, and Campbell’s comments suggest Chuck Clark will remain a major part of the plan while Keith Abney continues to earn snaps.
The Detroit Lions are getting safety Brian Branch back Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, and the timing couldn’t be better. It’s the first divisional game of the year. Branch’s return answers one big question while raising another: who starts at safety next to him?
Look, a lot has been said about the Lions secondary. Safety has been the one spot where things have gone fairly well, though. Now Lions coach Dan Campbell has given us a pretty good idea of how it shakes out.
Chuck Clark looks like the guy next to Branch
Campbell was asked about the safety spot Tuesday, and his answer pointed toward veteran Chuck Clark.
“Chuck has been really steady for us. He’s smart, veteran guy. He’s going to be where he’s supposed to be,” Campbell said.
That’s a strong endorsement of Clark’s reliability. It doesn’t guarantee he starts, but Campbell clearly trusts him. It feels like that’s the direction Detroit is heading.
Campbell also doubled down on Keith Abney.
“Abney is worth continuing to invest in. He’s going to play for us,” Campbell said.
Abney didn’t start against the Cardinals, but he played 40-plus snaps at safety, and it worked out well. Some will point out that the Lions mostly used him in bracket coverage to take tight end Trey McBride out of the game. Well, it worked. Green Bay has Tucker Kraft at tight end this week, so do it again. Tight end has been a spot where the Lions have been bit, and bit hard.
If it were me, I’d lean further into the Branch and Abney pairing. I don’t know what Kerby Joseph will look like when he eventually returns, though Campbell said Tuesday he expects him to play this season. Even so, I’d invest in Abney as the future starter at whichever safety spot Joseph doesn’t occupy.
Branch’s versatility changes everything
Campbell also made it clear Branch won’t be locked into one role. That opens the door to seeing him play some nickel along with safety.
“There’s things you’re going to want to do with BB high, let him play top-down, and then there’s things you ‘You want him to play underneath,’” Campbell said.
That’s the heart of it. Branch doesn’t have to be a deep safety. He can play underneath, or he can do just about anything else you want. That adds an element to the Lions defense that simply hasn’t been there.
It also helps whoever lines up next to him.
“B.B.’s versatility allows the next player to play at a high level with whatever is asked of him,” Campbell said.
A lot of Lions fans have asked whether one player can really help this defense that much. He can. Detroit doesn’t have to find the perfect safety to pair with Branch because Branch can handle almost anything. He can play deep, come down into the box, cover the slot, and move around before the snap to disguise coverages. That lets Clark and Abney focus on what they do best instead of being asked to do things that don’t fit their strengths. For a secondary that has been trying to figure things out through the first five games, that’s a big deal.
Branch also gives defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard more freedom to get creative. Sheppard doesn’t necessarily have to substitute players to change looks because Branch can handle multiple responsibilities on the same drive. That makes it harder for opposing quarterbacks to read the defense before the snap. It also lets Detroit keep getting Abney valuable snaps without overloading him, while Clark stays the steady veteran Campbell trusts. It just makes sense.
How much will Branch play against the Packers?
Now the big question is how much we’ll actually see of Branch. Campbell said Monday he believes Branch can handle a lot, and the team will push him in practice this week to find out how much. He also hinted that you probably shouldn’t expect Branch to play 70 snaps. That would be a lot for a guy coming back from an Achilles injury.
If I had to guess, he plays around 35 snaps, maybe 40 on the high end
Either way, anything helps. Branch brings a level to this defense it hasn’t had this year. Let’s see how much of it shows up Sunday against Green Bay.
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