Brandon Joseph was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence early Saturday morning. The second-year safety is no longer with the Lions as a result.
Joseph was pulled over for speeding around 1:47 a.m. on Saturday and Dearborn Heights police noted he was taken into custody for “a few hours.” Director Paul Vanderplow stated Joseph was traveling over the speed limit at the time of his arrest but added “It was not excessive speed” (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
“He was very compliant, he was very respectful,” Vanderplow added when referring to Joseph’s situation. “He went through the battery of tests, through those tests now we have some analysis to go through before charges can be done… He’ll go through that process, and then go through the court process like anybody else.”
The Lions declined to comment, but their decision to move on from Joseph will lead to him hitting the waiver wire. In the likely event no teams put in a claim, the 23-year-old will become a free agent. Considering his legal situation, though, it would come as no surprise if Joseph were to remain on the market for an extended period. A 2023 UDFA, he only made a pair of appearances during his rookie campaign but this season produced a notable uptick in usage.
Joseph had played in all 14 of the Lions’ games this season, remaining a contributor on special teams as he was last year. As Birkett notes, the Notre Dame product took over as a gunner on coverage units after Khalil Dorsey‘s season-ending injury. Joseph also logged a 20% snap share on defense, chipping in for a Lions secondary which has dealt with a number of injuries over the course of the season. He recorded 13 tackles and one pass deflection in 2024.
Especially with Ifeatu Melifonwu
back on the active roster, though, the safety spot is one position at which Detroit’s depth chart is largely intact. The Lions will play the Bears on Sunday without Jones in the fold for the first time this season as they look to move closer to securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed.