Lions give optimistic injury updates on Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph
Lions GM Brad Holmes was optimistic about Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, but warned not to overthink their draft moves.
Detroit Lions safety Kerby Joseph (31), right, talks to safety Daniel Thomas (2) at a timeout against Dallas Cowboys during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Just about every time Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes has talked to the media, he’s been asked about the health of the safety room—and for good reason.
There remains a lot of uncertainty and mystery around a knee injury that held Kerby Joseph out for the majority of last season. And fans are eager to hear updates on Brian Branch’s recovery after the Pro Bowl safety suffered an Achilles tear in early December. Holmes gave a somewhat optimistic overview of both safeties during his final press conference of NFL Draft weekend.
He noted that both players are “trending in the right direction,” but he left it at that. The Lions did not draft a safety during this year’s draft, and some have taken that as a vote of confidence in both Branch and Joseph. However, Holmes rejected that claim.
Instead, things just didn’t line up in this year’s draft to take any safety they wanted. “It wasn’t that we intentionally didn’t draft a safety because we feel good about them [Joseph and Branch]. I feel like they’re both trending in the right direction, but it just didn’t line up,” Holmes said.