Story byTyler Erzberger, Touchdown WireFri, December 5, 2025 at 8:35 PM UTC·1 min readIt has been a rough year for the Detroit Lions, and it's only going to get tougher with one of their superstar players out for the 2025 season. Safety Brian Branch went down in the fourth quarter of Thursday Night Football in a win against the Dallas Cowboys. After further testing and a morning MRI, it was revealed that he has a torn left Achilles tendon, which will rule him out for the rest of this year's campaign and potentially affect his 2026. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSince coming into the league in 2023, Branch has been one of the league's premier lockdown ball hawks in the secondary. His ability to create pressure in different looks as a rusher or playing back deep to anchor coverage has made him instrumental in Detroit's resurgence as a playoff contender after decades of futility. Per Pro Football Focus, he was the 14th-ranked safety of the 2025 season.
