Philly’s Heartbeat Returns — But Are Eagles Fans Ready for What Brandon Graham Has Left?.QQ
On behalf of all Philadelphia Eagles fans, welcome back home Brandon Graham!
The moment has finally arrived. Graham is an Eagle for at least one more season.
Speculation started to swirl after Za’Darius Smith had his shocking retirement announcement, which started making some in Philly wonder if Graham would come back. Right before the Eagles beat the Minnesota Vikings 28-22, it was reported that Graham was considering coming out of retirement and had been working out every day for the last month to prepare.
The day after the news, it was now being reported that the Eagles and Graham were finalizing a deal to bring him home, with the defensive end even taking to social media to tease the news. Sure enough, he is officially coming home, and the Eagles fan base has their guy back.
Graham has played for the last 15 years in Philadelphia after the team selected him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. In 206 career games, he has racked up 153 quarterback hits and 76.5 sacks. He has made the Pro Bowl once in 2020 and was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2016. Most importantly, he’s won two Super Bowls with the Eagles.
Life is pretty good in Philadelphia, as the Eagles finally have a pass rusher they can trust to be consistent. But is he going to be the game-wrecker many are expecting him to be?
Graham’s true role in Philadelphia must be discussed
This isn’t an article that will dump on all the bad things that come with signing with Graham. In fact, it will be a real but honest assessment of his game that the Eagles are desperate to have.
The Eagles’ edge rushers have not been good at all this season. They have a combined 16 quarterback hits (three from Smith) and 3.5 sacks (1.5 of them from Smith). There just hasn’t been enough pressure on the quarterback from the guys whose main job is to do that.
Graham will be able to come in and help out with that. Now, Graham won’t be an every down edge rusher as he is not the type that will drop back into coverage. He is a traditional pass rusher, so expect him to play about 15-20 snaps a game and be used mainly on third down pass-rushing situations.
Something else to keep in mind? He’s 37 years old, and his body has taken a beating in his career. Graham tore his triceps twice last season, so he can only play so many snaps to protect the body. He’s played a full season twice since 2021.
The most crucial aspect of Graham that isn’t discussed as much is his leadership. This defense has not been playing as well and doesn’t nearly have the veteran leaders it has had over the last few years. Graham brings a presence that has been missing from such a young unit.
While Graham might not get the sack numbers Eagles fans are hoping he can provide, it’s what he can do off the field that might actually be more impactful than on the field. Graham is the definition of Philadelphia and can give this team that little boost they need to make a postseason run again.
