Lions' defense hungry for help. Brian Branch is "starving."

Standing by his locker, Brian Branch had to smile. Through his grueling rehab, did he always have the Packers game circled?

"It was definitely extra motivation," he said.

Branch practiced Wednesday for the first time since tearing his Achilles last December and will almost certainly make his season debut in Week 7 against Green Bay, on the other side of the Lions' bye. He wasn't missing that one. The Lions desperately need their star safety, and they will have him for all six of their division games. That's crucial.

"It’s been a long time coming, what, 10 months? There's nothing like being back out there, especially playing with this group of guys, just getting back in the groove of things," Branch said Wednesday. "I just love this game. I can’t take this game for granted. That’s what this time off taught me."

What it taught the Lions, if they didn't already know this, is that Branch might be their most valuable player on defense. He's certainly their most versatile, equal parts run thumper and ball hawk, a sticky defensive back who can hit like a linebacker. He's also their best blitzer, and their blitzes so far have been chewed up and spit out by opposing QBs. Bryce Young didn't bat an eye when the Lions dialed up pressure last week.

Branch won't fix Detroit's defense by himself, and it will likely take him some time to get back to form coming off such a major injury. The Lions learned that the hard way last year when Alim McNeill returned around this time from a torn ACL.

But for a team whose secondary has been an abject disaster through the first month of the season, it's hard to imagine a better addition than a safety who can pick passes, pressure quarterbacks, cover tight ends and even slot receivers, and stop running backs in their tracks.

"The production that he’s able to bring is different. It’s just different," Dan Campbell said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "He’s one of these rare players, man, in the run and pass game. Look, I think it’ll take him a minute to work back from this Achilles, like any injured player. But I know this, man: he’s an outstanding football player. He finds the ball, the ball finds him, he’s aggressive, he’s got a knack for playing the game, and whenever he’s able to come back, you get him, his production, but then you also are able to settle some things down on the backend and put guys in one spot and let them just stay there and hopefully let ‘em grow."

The Lions have had lots of moving parts in the secondary, while also switching to a more zone-centric scheme in year two under Kelvin Sheppard. The backend of their defense has looked overwhelmed and overmatched. Their safeties and corners have spent most of the first four games either blowing assignments, busting coverages or simply losing 1-on-1s. Quarterbacks, tight ends and receivers have feasted. At times so have running backs.

Branch, again, isn't a cure-all, and doesn't claim to be: "I'm just here to do my job," he said. "I think my job will be a hell of a job, but I'm just here to do my job."

But that's kind of the point. In a defense where too many players haven't been doing their jobs, which leads to what Campbell calls the "ripple effects" of other players trying to do too much and in turn neglecting their own jobs, a trusted player like Branch can make a big difference. Not only will he understand his job -- and "be where he's supposed to be, when he's supposed to be there," as Campbell says -- but Branch can be counted on to finish it.

""We know that we’ve been shooting ourselves in the foot," said Branch.

Christian Izien might have been guilty of more missed assignments than anyone on the Lions' defense in their loss to the Panthers last week. That's who's been playing in Branch's spot at strong safety the past two weeks. Izien was effective the week prior in Detroit's win over the Jets, but a detriment in Week 4. He's an unruly player. That can work for him and against him. It doesn't help a defense already struggling with its ... well, rules.

The Lions lost Branch late in their Week 14 win over the Cowboys last season. He had six tackles, three defensive stops, a pass breakup, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hit before he crumbled to the turf in the end zone after denying a potential touchdown pass. At the time, the Lions were very much alive in the playoff race. They lost their next three games, while allowing an average of 31 points, and were eliminated. They're 3-5 since his injury.

"Just not being out there with them, that’s the hardest part," said Branch.

He isn't expected to play Sunday in Arizona. He's still catching his wind -- "that's the only hurdle," he said -- and getting re-acclimated to contact. The way Branch tackles, contact might be getting re-acclimated to him. The bye will give his body a good chance to recover from his first week of practice in almost a year, before the Lions unleash him the next week against the Packers.

"I’m getting the rust off now in practice, so I feel good," he said. "Honestly when I had surgery on my toe two years ago, coming back I was kinda in my head. But this time, I don't know what transpired or what’s been going on with me, but I ain’t in my head. I’m ready to go."

Branch should soon boost a beleaguered defense. He's already lifted a frustrated fanbase. The sight of No. 32, even on the practice field, is soothing to sore eyes. Branch knows the fans have been clamoring for his return, because "I’ve been getting DM’s and stuff," he said with a smile. "But that's love right there."

"I thank them for believing in me like that. That means a lot," he said. "I just can’t wait to show out for them when I get back … They want to see me back, I want to be back my damn self."

How quickly he's back to being himself remains to be seen. But almost any version of Branch is better than what the Lions have put on the field so far. They are hungry for help.

"But I told Dan," Branch smiled, "'I’m starving.'"