Lions safety Brian Branch got some bad news after his first game back in almost a year
Branch’s return gave Detroit’s secondary an immediate boost, but another fine brings his career total to 16 and $188,656 — including several violations involving dangerous tackling techniques.
The Detroit Lions getting Brian Branch back last Sunday was a huge moment for them, and it even paid off at the end of the day since he got a big interception and the crowd went absolutely nuts. Even better news: Branch will have no limitations against the Vikings on Sunday and is a full-on starter again.
But there was some bad news with his return
Branch is being fined a very hefty $23,882 for use of a helmet on Packers tight end Tucker Kraft.
Yeah, you can’t really dispute that one. There’s some more good-ish news attached here. The NFL recently imposed a three-strike rule for a few penalties that could result in a player receiving a one-game suspension. This is not one of them.
Those penalties are the following: Hip drop, blindside block, launching, horse collar, and hit on a defenseless player.
What is a problem is that this is quite a pattern for Branch and he needs to do his best to prevent this kind of thing from happening. You’ll notice that some of those suspendable penalties do show up in his very recent past.
| Date | Violation | Opponent | Fine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Use of helmet | GB | $23,882 |
| 11/28/2025 | Hit to a defenseless receiver | NYG | $23,186 |
| 11/21/2025 | Impermissible use of helmet | PHI | $11,599 |
| 09/26/2025 | Low block | BAL | $11,598 |
| 09/12/2025 | Taunting | GB | $11,593 |
| 09/12/2025 | Facemask | GB | $11,593 |
| 01/03/2025 | Impermissible use of helmet | SF | $10,128 |
| 12/20/2024 | Taunting | CHI | $10,128 |
| 11/15/2024 | Hip-drop tackle | HOU | $10,128 |
| 11/08/2024 | Obscene gesture | GB | $10,128 |
| 11/08/2024 | Hit to a defenseless receiver | GB | $10,128 |
| 09/27/2024 | Fighting | ARI | $10,128 |
| 09/27/2024 | Impermissible use of helmet | ARI | $10,128 |
| 12/23/2023 | Helmet-to-helmet hit | DEN | $8,103 |
| 10/06/2023 | Helmet-to-helmet hit (Bijan Robinson) | ATL | $8,103 |
| 10/06/2023 | Horse-collar tackle | ATL | $8,103 |
| Total | 16 fines | $188,656 |
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