Secondary Shuffle: Will Keith Abney and Brian Branch Be the…

About this episode

Five weeks into the season, the Lions' secondary has gone from a five-alarm fire to a cautious sense of optimism, and the biggest reason is a position change nobody predicted. Fifth-round rookie Keith Abney, who has moved from outside corner to nickel to free safety, made his first NFL start at safety against the Cardinals and held up better than anyone had a right to expect. With Brian Branch due back from his 10-month Achilles recovery after the bye, the Grey Manes look ahead at what could and should happen next. Is Branch and Abney the long-term pairing? Where does that leave Chuck Clark and Christian Izien? And should fans expect an immediate fix, or be patient with a Branch who may not be at full strength right away?The conversation then widens to the questions that will shape the Green Bay game. Did Kelvin Sheppard do enough with the shift back to more man coverage to keep his job, and could the bye week bring changes to the staff or the scheme? The Grey Manes also look at the hole Tom Kennedy's season-ending knee injury leaves at punt returner, and revisit the 2024 draft class to ask whether it deserves a better grade now that Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Giovanni Manu-style late contributors, and the Mahogany and Vaki selections are making real impact.Come ready to debate, because this episode is about what comes next.🦁Join The Grey Manes Community🦁✅ Official: https://www.thegreymanes.com/ ✅ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGreyManes/ ✅ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GreyManes ✅ X/Twitter: https://x.com/TheGreyManes ✅ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@LionsGreyManes Lions Grey Manes is produced by Chris Stone at https://CastAhead.net