The Detroit Lions won a pivotal game in their Week 14 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, but despite improving their odds to qualify for the playoffs, it came at a cost. Safety Brian Branch suffered an Achilles injury and will miss the rest of the 2025 season.
Per a report from Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Lions are signing veteran defensive back Damontae Kazee to their club’s practice squad. According to the report, the intention is for Detroit to fast-track the veteran’s elevation to the team’s 53-man roster.
Kazee is in his ninth NFL season after being selected in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He stayed there for four years, playing in 52 games and starting 34. In 2018, Kazee was the league’s interception leader, tallying seven picks to go with his 82 tackles and 10 pass breakups.
He entered the league as a cornerback, but made a transition to safety early in his career. He would have pit stops with the Cowboys (2021), Steelers (2022-24), and he was most recently with the Cleveland Browns this year until he was waived in November, when the two sides agreed to part ways so that Kazee could find somewhere to play for the remainder of the season. Kazee had only played in four games for the Browns this year and served mostly on special teams.
Injuries have decimated the Lions secondary for the second season in a row. Starting cornerback Terrion Arnold is out for the season with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss time earlier this season, Kerby Joseph has missed the last seven games with a knee injury, and now, Branch, one of the most important pieces in Detroit’s defensive backfield because of his versatility and moveability, put Detroit in a position where more depth was needed.
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