Detroit Lions starting safety Brian Branch suffered a season ending achilles tendon tear in the week 14 matchup against the Cowboys. For the 24-year-old safety, what does this mean for the future of his career?

Treatment

Treatment for a complete achilles tear includes surgical repair, where the surgeon stitches the torn ends back together, possibly with some additional reinforcement. The Lions announced that Branch had surgery within the week after the initial injury. After surgery, the ankle is immobilized in a cast or boot to protect the repair and kept non weight bearing for a few weeks, then weight bearing progressively increases in a boot with a heel lift. Many patients are allowed to remove the boot between 5-8 weeks post op, depending on the patient’s condition and surgeon preference. Early rehabilitation focuses on regaining range of motion and progressively adds strengthening exercises. Key factors for successful return to sport for athletes are regaining the positional sense in the ankle, the development of fast force production (plyometrics) and ankle stability during dynamic tasks like change of direction on the field.

Timeline

Overall, the timeline from surgery to possibly returning to play is usually between 6-12 months from surgery although 6 months may be optimistic. Looking at other NFL DBs who has achilles repairs, the average time to return to play was 336.2 days (about 11 months). (1) Since Branch was able to have surgery within a week of the initial injury, that clock has already started.

Performance expectations

From a performance standpoint, analyses of previous NFL players who underwent achilles tendon repairs shows a marked decrease in performance metrics following return to sport. For DBs this looked like fewer average interceptions, fewer passes defended, and more games missed per season upon their return. (2) Branch has been a major contributor to the Lions' defence, with 75 total tackles over the 12 games he played in the 2025 season. With successful rehabilitation, hopefully he outperforms the expectations after achilles tears.

1. Jack RA, Sochacki KR, Gardner SS, et al. Performance and Return to Sport After Achilles Tendon Repair in National Football League Players. Foot & Ankle International. 2017;38(10):1092-1099. doi:10.1177/1071100717718131
2. Parekh SG, Wray WH, Brimmo O, Sennett BJ, Wapner KL. Epidemiology and Outcomes of Achilles Tendon Ruptures in the National Football League. Foot & Ankle Specialist. 2009;2(6):283-286. doi:10.1177/1938640009351138