Brandon Graham was Howie Roseman’s first draft pick after being promoted to general manager of the Eagles at the tender age of 34. Nobody knew the player Graham would become, but what should have been realized then was that Roseman was on his way to becoming Trader Howie.
To get Graham, Roseman had to move up to 11 spots in the first round, going from pick 24 to pick 13, to get him. It required the GM to surrender that 24th pick along with two third-rounders – Nos. 70 and 87 overall – to the Denver Broncos. Roseman hasn’t really stopped trading since.
Anyway, the Broncos then moved up to 22 to take receiver Demaryius Thomas, who stopped playing six years ago after a terrific career.
Graham plays on, thanks to Roseman’s summertime phone call and the relationship he has with the defensive end. The GM knew that Graham had been coming to the facility to work out even after giving an emotional retirement speech on March 18.
“Before the season started and before we went down any path, I called BG – I’m fortunate really to have special relationships with a bunch of guys here and BG was my first pick,” said Roseman. “I just reached out and said, ‘Hey, we’re in the market for an edge rusher, how are you feeling?’
Graham wasn’t feeling it at the time, but that call got his mind moving in the direction of playing again. When Za’Darius Smith abruptly retired on Oct. 10, after playing just five games once being signed by the Eagles on Sept. 5, Roseman dialed up Graham again.
Howie Roseman Remained Persistent
“(I) picked up the phone again and just said, ‘Hey, I’m just reaching out again, I had heard a little bit through the grapevine; you’re working out a little bit harder,’” said the general manager. “I got that little BG cackle, and that kind of gave me a sense that he wanted to come back.”
Now, Graham is back. He unretired a few days before the Eagles hosted the New York Giants on Oct. 26. The thinking was there would be a small role for him in that first game back. The Eagles, though, waited a while longer. They knew they had the bye week coming up, so they thought, ‘Why not let Graham get back into football shape?’
After three weeks of getting his body right, Graham is expected to make his season debut in Lambeau Field against the Packers. He is coming back to a team that sits alone by a wide margin at the top of the NFC East at 6-2.
“Maybe he was trying to have our team prove that we were any good, and when he saw that we had a chance here, he wanted to take the opportunity,” Roseman joked. “But love having him back. I said to him when he came back, ‘I guess there’s going to be a day where we’re not going to have you to rely on. I’m just glad that day’s not today.’”
