Detroit Lions cornerback Brian Branch is recovering from surgery on his lower left leg and will be out of action until training camp. Branch was spotted on a one-legged scooter during the NFL Draft in Detroit in late April.
While Branch is progressing well, he will miss the rest of organized team activities and next month's mini-camp, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
"He had a little cleanup there," Lions' coach Dan Campbell said, via Birkett. "Something that coming out of last year, that thought it might heal and then it just ended up being, you know, we better get this thing done. So anyway, that's where he's at. That and I think he likes riding the scooter. But we like he's progressing well. We feel like he'll be ready to go in camp, if not early enough, certainly he'll get enough reps to be ready for the season. That's how we feel right now."
Branch had at outstanding rookie season in 2023. He quickly garnered a reputation for making big plays after being a second-round pick out of Alabama. He had 74 tackles and three interceptions with a touchdown in 15 games.
The pick-six came in Branch's NFL debut, Detroit's 21-20 season-opening win over the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. He grabbed a Pat Mahomes pass that went off the hands of Kadarius Toney and returned it 50-yards for the score.
Branch tied for fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.
He missed two games after injuring his right ankle in a Week 4 win over the Green Bay Packers.
The Lions are also without starting safety Kerby Joseph this spring because of off-season hip surgery.
