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 1:47am 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.
Vanderplow is a great name for an officer speaking publicly about a DUI arrest.
Vanderplow, that’s his name. That name again is Vanderplow.
Doesn’t the nfl have a free taxi service for situations like this?
You can bet he wouldn’t have been released if he was a 1st round pick instead of an UDFA.
Who is “Jones” as mentioned in the final sentence?
Vanderplow would be a great name for my neck of the woods. A Dutch farming community. Vander is the start of a lot of names. Plow is not one I’ve seen. But the DUI is pretty good.
He was suspected of DUI? Do we suspend or cut players because of something they may have done? Dumbshawn showed his junk to 60+ innocent women and he gets to continue his career, but this guy MAY have been driving under the influence. Maybe he should have shown the officers his genitals instead of his driver’s license and then he could have continued playing.
I think that tends to mean someone gave every sign of having been drinking, but refused a breathalyzer.
The proof is a blood test if a breathalyzer is refused. Has to be one or the other. At least on our Rez. You can’t just say he failed a sobriety test. Prescribed meds, concussions, or a variety of other factors can cause similar symptoms. Just playing devil’s advocate.