The Detroit Lions are heading into training camp shorthanded in the secondary, as both starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph have been placed on the physically unable to perform — or PUP — list ahead of Wednesday’s camp opener.
The team also added veteran tight end Tyler Conklin to the PUP list. Conklin, who signed with Detroit as a free agent back in March, will turn 31 on Thursday.
Branch, 24, suffered a season-ending Achilles tear during Week 14 of last season. Joseph, 25, was limited to just six games due to a knee injury he dealt with throughout the year.
Under NFL rules, players may only be placed on the active/PUP list before training camp kicks off. Those on the list still count toward the team’s 90-man roster and are allowed to attend meetings and use team facilities during the preseason. They can be removed from the list at any point during camp and begin practicing right away — but while on it, they are not permitted to take part in any practice activities.
There is also a separate designation known as the reserve/PUP list. Players on that list do not count against the active roster, but they are required to sit out a minimum of the first four games of the regular season.
Branch earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2024 and appeared in 12 games last season — starting all of them — before his injury cut the year short. He recorded 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, and nine passes defensed. Over his career spanning 43 regular-season games and 37 starts since 2023, Branch has accumulated 258 tackles, 4.5 sacks, seven interceptions — one returned for a touchdown — 20 tackles for loss, and 38 passes defensed. Detroit originally selected him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
Joseph earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2024 after leading the entire league with nine interceptions. Last season, however, he managed only six games — all starts — due to injury, finishing with 18 tackles, three interceptions, and four passes defensed. Across 55 regular-season games and 52 starts in his career, Joseph has posted 265 tackles, 20 interceptions — one for a touchdown — and 35 passes defensed. Detroit took him in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Illinois.
As for Conklin, he hauled in seven catches on 10 targets for 101 yards across 13 games — five starts — last season with the Los Angeles Chargers. In his NFL career spanning 127 games and 69 starts with the Minnesota Vikings (2018–21), New York Jets (2022–24), and Chargers, Conklin has 270 receptions for 2,645 yards and 11 touchdowns. Minnesota originally drafted him in the fifth round in 2018 out of Central Michigan.
