The Detroit Lions will be without veteran defensive back Avonte Maddox for the rest of the 2026 season after he suffered a foot injury that requires surgery.
Head coach Dan Campbell confirmed the update Monday, four days after Maddox was hurt in a 41-31 loss at Buffalo.
Maddox injured his left foot in the second quarter of Thursday night’s game at Highmark Stadium. He went down after colliding with teammate Chuck Clark in the end zone, limped off with trainers and was later carted to the locker room.
“That hurts a little bit. Maddox is a good player for us,” Campbell said. “Good, solid football player. I hate that for him. That’s the hand we’re dealt, and we move forward.”
The 30-year-old started both of Detroit’s first two games and finished with 10 tackles and two passes defensed. He played a larger role at safety because the Lions opened the year without their top two players at the position.
Maddox has recorded 312 tackles, five interceptions and nine forced fumbles in 97 career games. He spent his first seven seasons with Philadelphia before signing with his hometown Lions in 2025 and winning a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.
Detroit already was thin in the secondary. Starting safeties Brian Branch (Achilles) and Kerby Joseph (knee) began the season on the reserve/physically unable to perform list and must miss at least the first four games.
Campbell said neither Branch nor Joseph will practice this week. Branch, who tore his Achilles last December, may return sooner than Joseph, whose chronic knee issue has lingered since October 2025.
With Maddox out, the Lions’ healthy safeties are Clark and Thomas Harper. Harper played 33 snaps after Maddox left the Buffalo game.
The Lions are 1-1 and host the New York Jets in Week 3. Their defense has allowed 71 points through two games.
Campbell said after the Buffalo loss that Maddox’s absence from the field made him nervous because of the veteran’s toughness. The worst-case diagnosis was confirmed Monday.
The Lions worked out several defensive backs Monday as they look to add depth before Sunday. Cornerbacks Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Keith Abney II have also dealt with injuries this season.
Maddox, listed at 5-foot-9 and 191 pounds, was a fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh in 2018. He signed a one-year deal with Detroit last year and another one-year contract this offseason.
The injury leaves Detroit short on experience in the back end as it tries to avoid a repeat of last season’s disappointing finish. Campbell emphasized the team will keep moving forward with the players available.
