The injury-plagued Lions are desperate for some healthy bodies in the secondary, and they’ll hope that veteran safety Damontae Kazee can quickly get ready to play.
Kazee is signing with the Lions’ practice squad, according to NFL Network.
The 32-year-old Kazee has a wealth of experience and led the NFL in interceptions in 2018. The Lions will hope he can quickly get up to speed and get elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.
Kazee played four games for the Browns this year before he was released. He has previously played for the Steelers, Cowboys and Falcons.
The fears about Lions safety Brian Branch’s injury have been realized.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that tests show that Branch tore his Achilles when he was injured in Thursday night’s win over the Cowboys. It is a season-ending injury for the third-year player.
Branch had 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 12 games this season.
It’s the second season-ending injury in the last two games for a Lions defensive back. Cornerback Terrion Arnold will miss the rest of the year with a shoulder injury and the team has also been without safety Kerby Joseph since Week 6.
Thomas Harper started with Branch against Dallas, but left the game in the first quarter. Daniel Thomas and Avonte Maddox are other safety options in Detroit.
Lions safety Brian Branch left Thursday night’s win over the Cowboys with an injury that may bring his season to an end.
NFL Media reports that Branch is feared to have suffered an Achilles injury. He is having more tests on Friday before a final diagnosis about the extent of the injury will be determined, but a tear would lead to surgery and a long rehab for Branch.
The Lions have been without safety Kerby Joseph for most of the season due to a knee injury and cornerback Terrion Arnold is out for the rest of the year with a shoulder injury, so losing Branch would be another unfortunate development for a team coming off of a big win.
Branch has 75 tackles, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 12 games this season.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has tied an accomplishment previously achieved only by another Lions running back, Barry Sanders.
With three touchdowns on Thursday night, Gibbs now has 47 touchdowns in his career. Gibbs is 23 years old, and with 47 touchdowns before turning 24, he has tied Sanders’ record for the most touchdowns ever before a player’s 24th birthday.
Gibbs won’t turn 24 until the offseason and the Lions still have four more games this season, so it’s highly likely that Gibbs will surpass Sanders’ mark and have the record for most touchdowns before age 24 all to himself.
Sanders was one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Gibbs is not there yet, but in his third NFL season he appears to be well on his way to a great career of his own.
After injuring his ankle on Thanksgiving, Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown woke up Friday unable to walk. But within six days, he was moving so well that he caught six passes for 92 yards in a Thursday night win over the Cowboys.
“After the game, I hurt it Thursday, Friday I couldn’t walk,” St. Brown said after the game. “Saturday I could barely walk. At that point I was like, ‘I can’t play, it hurts too bad.’ Sunday I was able to walk, felt a little better, tried to jog and couldn’t even do a warmup. Kind of down, feeling like I couldn’t play. And then Tuesday came and I felt a lot better, I felt like I had a chance. Wednesday I was like, OK, I feel I can play.”
St. Brown said he and the Lions’ training staff worked hard all week at getting his ankle better.
“I was gonna do everything to be out there, just to be out there for my guys,” St. Brown said. “Availability is the best ability at the end of the day. My job is to go out there, make plays and be on that field. That’s what they pay me to do, so I was going to do whatever it takes to be out there. With the help of our training staff — they did a great job, I think they’re amazing — they got me back.”
In the post-game locker room, St. Brown said his ankle wasn’t hurting too badly. But he expects to be feeling it on Friday morning.
“It feels decent,” St. Brown said. “It doesn’t feel too bad. I took some medication, so that helps — it will probably wear off tomorrow morning. But it doesn’t feel bad now.”
