Brian Branch started at the star position during his final season at Alabama and was touted as the top safety available in the 2023 NFL Draft. But after being drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round, Branch got virtually all his playing time as a rookie at slot corner.
Detroit defensive assistant Jim O’Neil said the Lions preferred “to fix him at one spot” in his first season, but he expected Branch to branch out in the secondary in 2024.
“Now that he’s going into Year 2, I think we’ll be more aggressive with him,” O’Neil said during Detroit’s mandatory minicamp. “He’s the type of player you want to see out there on all three downs, so we’re going to push him to that. But at the end of the day, he still has to come out in training camp, and he’s got to take that job.”
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In 15 regular-season games, Branch recorded 74 tackles, three interceptions, 13 passes defended, seven tackles for loss and one forced fumble as a rookie. Hefinished tied for fifthin the voting for The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, which was won by former Alabama teammateWill Anderson Jr., a defensive end for the Houston Texans.
Branch made 20 tackles, recorded three tackles for loss and broke up one pass during the Lions’ three postseason games as Detroit reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1991 campaign.
But in 10 of his games, Branch played less than 75 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps.
O’Neil said Branch wouldn’t have a problem adding safety to his NFL repertoire.
“I think it’s just learning it,” O’Neil said. “Now he’s had an awesome offseason in the classroom. We forced him to overcommunicate with us as a secondary group and as coaches, so now he’s just got to be able to take it to the grass, which in the role he had last year I thought he played really well as a rookie.
“Now it’s can he make the next jump as a second-year player and can he make that next jump maybe just being fixed as a safety or maybe being a safety and a nickel? That’s all things we’re going to figure out in training camp.”
Although Kerby Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu return after starting 15 and six games, respectively, at safety in 2023, the position might be the thinnest on the Detroit defense, seemingly making Branch’s shift to safety more likely.
The Lions also revamped their cornerbacks depth chart this offseason. Detroit did not re-sign its top two corners from last season – Cameron Sutton and Jerry Jacobs. In March, theLions tradedfor formerAuburnstandoutCarlton Davis, a six-year starter at cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and signed cornerback Amik Robertson as a free agent after he started 12 games for the Las Vegas Raiders last season, then drafted Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold and Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with their first two picks in April.
But Branch showed as a rookie he had just what Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn wanted at the nickel or slot spot.
“If you asked AG would he prefer his nickel come from the safety position or the corner position, he’s going to say over his history he’s preferred it from the safety position,” O’Neil said, “because of how much we ask those guys to get into the run fit. In my opinion, the nickel position is one of the hardest positions to play in the NFL on the defensive side of the ball just because you got to cover like a corner, you got to fit the run like a linebacker and you got to communicate and do multiple jobs like a safety.”
Wherever Branch winds up in the Lions secondary, O’Neil expects him to play well.
“I think he could be really good,” O’Neil said. “I think he could be one of the better ones in the league. Coming off the rookie campaign that he just had, some of the things he did coverage-wise, some of the things he did run-fit-wise, blitz-wise, I’m excited about him. I’m really excited about him.”
Branch did not get on the field during Detroit’s offseason program. But he’s expected to be ready for training camp.
Without identifying Branch’s injury, Lions coach Dan Campbell announced in May that the defensive back wouldn’t practice until training camp, Detroit’s first players report for training camp on July 20.
“He had a little cleanup there,”Campbell said, “something that coming out of last year, thought it might heal, and it just ended up being: You know what? We just better get this thing done. …
“He’s progressing well. We feel like he’ll be ready to go in (training) camp. If not early enough, certainly he’ll get enough reps to be ready for the season.”
Like Branch a former Alabama standout, Lions defensive-backs coach and defensive passing-game coordinator Deshea Townsend expects Branch to be better in 2024 just off having one season of NFL experience.
“Anytime you’re going from your first year to your second year, it’s going to be some improvement,” Townsend said during mandatory minicamp, “especially mentally, just learning a different playbook, learning what’s expected of you in the league. And then seeing his improvement in the classroom so far this year has been major. He’s a football player, so wherever he’s needed he’ll be able to play. …
“You can’t dress everybody. You have to have guys that have position flex. That’s a testament to who Brian Branch is. He’s a guy that you know can play nickel and you know he can play safety. It’s just what is best for the team.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at@AMarkG1.
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