The Detroit Lions were thrilled with Brian Branch’s rookie season—and they’ve got even more on his plate moving forward.

Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch had a stellar rookie season, but the team has even bigger plans for the 22-year-old defender moving forward.

Many have wondered if the fact that the Lions have not gone out and signed a safety in free agency was a sign that they were preparing to play Branch—who was almost exclusively a nickel cornerback last season—at safety more going forward. While coach Dan Campbell said they are still looking for additional safety help, he more-or-less admitted that was the track Branch is on.

“Branch has got flexibility to be able to play the safety position, we believe, here in time,” Campbell said. “And we already feel very confident about the nickel. He’ll only get better and better. It’s really, we do believe he’ll be able to get there, it’s how fast do you get him there.”

Last year, Branch changed their entire plans in the secondary with how well he was playing in training camp. C.J. Gardner-Johnson entered camp as the starting nickel, with Kerby Joseph and Tracy Walker heading up the safety spots. But Branch was so dominant at nickel with the second-team defense that he forced Gardner-Johnson back to safety and Walker to the bench.

The Lions can’t help but see the similarities between Branch and Gardner-Johnson. It’s clear they want Branch on a similar career arc, where he can be the versatile piece that Gardner-Johnson has been since entering the league first as a nickel corner.

“Ducey was the same way when we got him in New Orleans,” Campbell said. “It was, ‘Man, is he a safety (or) nickel?’ When we just let him play nickel, he just really exploded. Now you see, here he is later in his career and he can really do both. He really grew in both areas. It’s just a matter of how fast he can get there.”

The Lions won’t rush the process. They are thrilled with what Branch is doing at nickel right now, and they don’t want to mess with it. Last year, they tried to share some of his time in practice at safety, but scaled back when it proved to be a little too much for a rookie who was still learning the system. Beyond that, it’s not entirely clear if Detroit has a capable backup nickel who could take over if/when he drops back to safety.

That said, Campbell clearly believes Branch is capable of playing safety, and having a full offseason to learn the position may be the time to start adding to the young defensive back’s plate.

“Now he’s been in the system a year. He understands,” Campbell said. “He has got a whole (new) understanding of the nickel position, which helps. Now, he can start really diving into the safety (position).”

It’s unclear what that would mean for Detroit’s current starting safeties: Joseph and Ifeatu Melifonwu. Would one be pushed off the field in certain subpackages? Will the Lions bring back more three-safety looks? That’s all to be determined. But, for now, the Lions seem thrilled about the potential of having another versatile piece in their secondary.