Brian Branch doesn't really care where he plays, "anywhere I can get on the field." He was everywhere in Wednesday's scrimmage, wrecking plays in the secondary, at the line and in the backfield. He preyed on receivers, running backs and tight ends alike. He hunted Jared Goff.
The Lions want to deploy Branch as much as possible this season. As new safeties coach Jim O'Neil said this spring, "He's the type of player you want to see out there on all three downs, so we're going to push him to that." After dominating on Wednesday, Branch said he models himself after Falcons star safety Jessie Bates III.
"You can tell he be in the film room, just how his instincts are and how cerebral of a player he is," Branch said.
The Lions' first-team defense was all over the first-team offense Wednesday. Branch was one of many reasons why. (Alim McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson, too). His loudest play came on third and goal from the one-yard line when David Montgomery took a handoff up the middle and Branch knocked him clean off his cleats. Montgomery's usually the one abusing defenders.
"D-Mo had got me last week on goal line, so I already told him I had to get him back," Branch said with a smile.
Branch ended the next drive when he came tearing after Goff on a blitz and forced a throwaway on third down. He was in Goff's grill again to snuff out another drive, this time shooting through the middle. Branch showed some pass-rushing prowess as a rookie, especially later in the year when the Lions starting blitzing more frequently from the secondary. He says he can show "a lot more" of it in year two.
"Sometimes I find myself slowing down, trying to work a move on a running back. This year, shoot, just can’t take the foot off the gas pedal. Just gotta keep on going and run through ‘em," he said.
He grinned when asked about getting sent on a blitz, and said, "Music to my ears. Go get the quarterback or running back, that’s my favorite thing to do.)
Between those pass rushes, Branch flew across the secondary to break up a shot down the sideline from Goff to Brock Wright. He made sure not to catch all of the tight end, who still needed to catch his breath after taking Branch's shoulder to the chest. In a game, Branch might have sent him straight into Monday.
"He shouldn’t make that throw," Branch said of Goff, with all due respect. "That was a bad read."
He shouldn't make that throw, that is, with Branch on the field. He might not come off of it this season. After thriving in the slot last year, Branch is gearing up to play more safety in Aaron Glenn's defense. It will afford him the freedom to make more plays.
The position isn't totally new to him; he played it a bit at the beginning of last season. To further prepare this offseason, Branch said he studied a lot of film through a safety's eyes, "just watching the QB, watching his reads and his progressions and just say, picking a call on a play and seeing what I would do in that situation."
Branch has only had so many live reps this summer after starting camp on the sidelines following offseason ankle surgery. But he hasn't missed a beat since putting the pads on. He said that he's gotten reps enough at safety to feel comfortable ahead of the season and that he's "getting used to playing the post more."
"I still gotta get used to it, because shoot, I’m the last line of defense," said Branch. "It’s different from being at nickel where if something gets behind me, I got safety help. I can’t let nothing get behind me at safety."
On Wednesday, nothing did.