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The Detroit Lions will enter the 2025 season with arguably the NFL's very best safety tandem: Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph.
Branch, a Pro Bowler last season, amassed 109 total tackles, a team-high 16 passes defensed and four interceptions in 2024. For his efforts, he received an overall grade of 77.6 from Pro Football Focus, good for the 17th-best grade among all safeties a season ago.
Meanwhile, Joseph, a first-team All-Pro selection in 2024, compiled 83 total tackles, 12 passes defensed and a league-high nine interceptions in his third NFL season. For his efforts, he earned a PFF overall mark of 91.0, the highest grade among 171 qualified safeties a season ago.
Branch and Joseph are the definition of a difference-making duo. And consequently, the Lions should have no qualms about the two of them headed into the ‘25 campaign.
Behind the dynamic pairing on Detroit's safeties depth chart, though, there is a bit of a cause for concern.
Offseason acquisition Avonte Maddox will head into training camp as the favorite to grab the No. 3 safety job.
In 81 career games, the veteran defensive back has produced 270 total tackles, including 13 tackles for loss, 36 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles, four interceptions and three sacks.
He’s played a largely reserve role throughout his career, including in 2024. Although he played in all 17 regular season games, he logged just three starts. And most notably, he deflected a pass of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes late in the third quarter of Super Bowl LIX.
The questions arise behind Maddox, with multiple inexperienced defensive backs in contention for the No. 4 safety job.
Roster bubble
As of right now, there are five players in contention for that final safety spot on the Lions’ 53-man roster: rookie (seventh-round pick) Dan Jackson, undrafted free agent Ian Kennelly, Morice Norris, Loren Strickland and Erick Hallett.
“We got five young, unproven, hungry guys that there's one spot, go earn it,” Detroit safeties coach Jim O’Neil said during OTAs. “And it's exciting to see those guys compete and obviously in the OTAs, then the training camp practices and they'll get the bulk of the work throughout the four preseason games. So we're waiting on one of them to pop.
“Hopefully two or three of them pop and we end up in a great situation.”
Of the five individuals mentioned above, the Lions have the most invested in Jackson since they used a draft pick on him this past April. Subsequently, I see him getting a legitimate chance to earn the final spot in the team's safeties room. He's also helped out by the fact that he brings solid special teams value to the table, which is a significant reason why the organization took him in the seventh round.
After Jackson, I envision Strickland, of the five “bubble” players, getting the most run at safety in training camp. He did play in seven games for the Lions last season. So, I believe he'll have an outside shot at making the season-opening roster of Dan Campbell's squad. And I believe he'll find a way to earn a spot on the team's practice squad to begin the season.
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