Brian Branch is opening up, and eager to "make a lot more plays" in switch to safety

At nickel last season, Brian Branch made plays in droves. He plans to make even more of them in a year-two switch to safety .

It's part of Aaron Glenn's plan to weaponize the most dangerous players on the Lions' defense.

"I just feel like AG makes his defense so that safeties can make plays," Branch said Saturday after practice. "You're farther back from the line of scrimmage, so that means you can move anywhere and make a lot more plays on the ball compared to nickel. I'm looking forward to it, I just have to go get it."

For Branch, the work will soon start in earnest. He's been limited to open camp as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery, but "health wise," he said he feels "ahead of schedule." His aim is to "get back out there with full pads, hopefully towards the end of next week." The Lions have their first padded practice Monday.

Branch made the pads pop as a rookie. He plays bigger than his listed 6'0 frame. He has elite closing speed and a nose for the football, traits that should shine even brighter at safety. Branch's 13 passes defended last year ranked third among rookies, his three interceptions second. He also had seven tackles for loss.

Add it all up, and Branch was one of only four NFL players with at least 10 passes defended, five tackles for loss and three picks. The others? All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner. Therein lies the appeal of letting Branch loose.

"I believe last year I played a little bit of safety, especially early in the season and a little bit late in the season," he said. "Honestly, I wish they did put more reps at safety on me last year, just because I feel like I would be a lot further along than I am now."

"I think last year they were a little more hesitant with BB to just kind of fix him at one spot, whereas now that he's going into Year 2, I think we'll be more aggressive with him," Lions new defensive coach Jim O'Neil said this spring.

O'Neil, who's working primarily with Detroit's safeties, added, "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. But at the end of the day, he still has to come out in training camp and take that job."

There's little doubt that Branch has the instincts to play safety. And while he might be on the smaller side for the position, he has the range and physicality to make up for it. The biggest question might be whether he's prepared for the vocal demands of playing in the depths of the defense, where he'll be responsible for more than himself.

"Yes sir," he said.

In the slot, Branch only had his own job to worry about. That suited him well as a rookie. He says he's ready to take on more at safety "because I feel like I've gotten better with communicating."

"I was kind of a silent dude last year," said Branch, soft-spoken by nature. "That's why they didn't really play me at safety. But I feel like I'm opening up more out of my shell. Just making sure everybody's where they need to be at and just trying to be the quarterback (of the secondary)."

"Like I said, getting everybody lined up, that's what they want to see," Branch added. "I feel like they know that I'm capable of doing it, they just wanna see the little things, the little intangibles to know for sure to put me out there."

Part of the appeal in shifting Branch to safety is that the Lions have loaded up on playmakers elsewhere in the secondary. With Carlton Davis III and Terrion Arnold slated to play on the outside, any one of Emmanuel Moseley, Amik Robertson and Ennis Rakestraw could start in the slot. Moseley has seen lots of first-team reps there to start camp.

At safety, Branch can team up with a ballhawk in Kerby Joseph and another converted defensive back in Ifeatu Melifonwu, who came into his own at the position in the second half of last season. The aim, for Glenn, is getting as many assets on the field at once.

"I feel like he’ll add a lot," Joseph said of Branch. "In the DB room we’re all versatile. So just having BB back there, man, he’s a playmaker, he’s a dog. I been out there with Brian (before), it’s really no adjustment. That’s been my brother since day 1, so we already click."

Detroit's secondary struggled to produce big plays last year. It was complicit in allowing the most air yards and the second most yards per pass in the NFL. The unit is stronger on paper, and it looks stickier on the field in the early stages of training camp.

"I feel like we look better than last year, to be honest," said Branch. "A lot better than last year."

They should look even better than that with Branch on the loose.