One Advanced Metric Showcases Just How Important Brian Branch Is

Detroit Lions safety can be vital to success of Detroit Lions defense this season.

Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) and former Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone (34) tackle Dallas Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch could be returning to action soon from a torn Achilles. After continuing his rehab throughout the bye week, the team is hoping the former second-round pick can suit up against the Green Bay Packers in Week 7.

One advanced metric showcased just how vastly different the Lions' defense operates with Branch in the lineup and when he has been out due to injury.

According to TrueMedia, the Detroit Lions rank 30th in the league in defensive success rate without Branch in the lineup (2023-2026). With him patrolling the back end, the defensive success rate ranks third.

Defensive success rate is an advanced football metric that tracks how regularly a defense keeps the opposing offense "on schedule" rather than just counting total yards, according to Sports Reference.

Trust issue

Detroit's defense should feel quite comfortable with Branch returning. The safeties unit has been plagued with coverage breakdowns and communication issues, through the first quarter of the 2026 NFL season.

Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard recently addressed if his defense was trying to overcome trust issues.

"I kind of just alluded to that. I just mentioned that when a guy feels like this guy isn't in his gap now, 'Okay, I'm going to play my gap, but then I'm going to go try to peek to his and see if I can kind of help over there too.’ And then the ball hits in your gap. And this is happening a little too much," said Sheppard. "So now we've got to do one or two things. I told the guys this, 'We've got to make sure the guys you don't trust aren't out there or you guys get it corrected and you get it corrected in a hurry.’ Because we don't want to start doing that and guys feeling like they have got to carry the weight for another guy out there."

The former NFL linebacker indicated players cannot overcompensate for players that are in the wrong position.

"We should have an 11-man, that's why it's an 11-man defense," said Sheppard. "Everybody doing their one-eleventh. We can't have a guy play 10-man defense, now we've got two guys playing a gap and a half trying to overcompensate for somebody. We're done doing that.

"But again,  it's all lip service. I can stand here and give you the right answer and tell you things. It has to show up on game day.”

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