Category: Eagles/NFL

The Eagles edge rusher corps is even more banged up following the win over the Minnesota Vikings than it was before the game, when rumors began to swirl about the end of Brandon Graham’s retirement.

Azeez Ojulari exited Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, making him the third edge rusher to be sidelined with an ailment through seven contests this season. Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo are out with triceps injuries. Smith is expected to return in November following the Eagles’ Week 9 bye, and Okoronkwo is done for the year.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday he doesn’t think Ojulari will be available to play Sunday against the New York Giants, the team that drafted him 50th overall out of Georgia in 2021.

So could Graham suit up on Sunday, given that the Eagles have just three healthy, full-time edge rushers — Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, and Patrick Johnson — on the active roster?

The 37-year-old defensive end announced that he was coming out of retirement to rejoin the Eagles on Tuesday morning on his podcast, Brandon Graham Unblocked. Graham estimated that he would return to action after the bye week for the Eagles’ Monday night game against the Green Bay Packers.

That timetable would give him three weeks, including the bye, to get up to speed. But Fangio left Graham’s potential return date open-ended.

“We’ll see what kind of shape he’s in, what kind of retention he has from last year,” Fangio said. “Shape comes in two forms: one, just your conditioning, but in football shape, too. Contact shape. So hopefully the sooner the better.”

Fangio said he had been “teasing [Graham] not to retire” since the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX victory in February. That ribbing continued into this season whenever Graham would visit the NovaCare Complex in an effort, Fangio said, to “try and light the fire.”

Now, following the surprise retirement of Za’Darius Smith last week, Graham is back under Fangio’s tutelage. The Eagles defensive coordinator said Graham’s experience in his defense last season gives him some reassurance that the 15-year veteran will have retained that knowledge.

Fangio wouldn’t put a number on Graham’s estimated snap count upon his return based on experience with other veteran edge rushers.

“I don’t know,” Fangio said. “Now, he’s coming out of retirement and he’s older, but when I was in Chicago, we traded for Khalil Mack, who had missed the entire training camp, and the fatigue police said, ‘Hey, he can only play about 20-22 snaps in this game’ because we got him the week of the first game. I said, ‘OK.’ He played about 45. So I don’t know.”

Dean’s return

Sunday marked Nakobe Dean’s first defensive snaps in 280 days, dating back to the wild-card matchup against the Packers in which he suffered a patellar tendon injury in his knee.

Dean had a busy afternoon. He played 31 defensive snaps (45%) at inside linebacker alongside Zack Baun.

Entering the game, Fangio said he had planned for Dean to solely take snaps at inside linebacker when the Eagles were in base defense. In nickel, Jihaad Campbell would replace him. However, Fangio adjusted that plan in-game, keeping Dean at inside linebacker in nickel for select plays and moving Campbell to the edge, a role the rookie had filled in select packages throughout the season.

“I think he got about 30 plays, which I think was a good number, and the way they came was good, too,” Fangio said of Dean. “It wasn’t like he had 10 in a row, I don’t think. And I thought he did well. And I think we did the right thing in not playing him the week before, even though we technically could have.”

Fangio said Dean did not play defensively the previous week against the Giants because he didn’t have enough practice time.

“It would’ve been negligent on our part to put him out there without practice,” Fangio said.

Campbell, the Eagles’ top pick out of Alabama, ended up playing 60 snaps (87%) on Sunday. That broke down to 32 at inside linebacker and 28 on the edge, according to Pro Football Focus. He generated just one quarterback pressure from the edge alignment, according to Next Gen Stats, on five pass rushes.

“It’s new out there, particularly the packages he was going up there earlier were different than this week, this past game,” Fangio said of Campbell. “So there’s a lot to learn. There’s a lot to get comfortable with. The more he’s up there, the better he’ll get at it.”

Cornerback carousel

The Eagles saw continued movement at their second outside cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell when Adoree’ Jackson (concussion) left the Vikings game in the third quarter.

Kelee Ringo took Jackson’s place, but he didn’t fare as well. Before exiting the game, Jackson had allowed just one reception for 11 yards, according to PFF. Ringo conceded three for 47 yards, including a 25-yarder to wide receiver Jordan Addison in the fourth quarter on a drive that sputtered in the red zone.

Still, Fangio said Ringo did “fine” when he was called to action.

“Some of the completions he’s given up, not all of them, but some of them have come on tough routes,” Fangio said. “So still think he can eventually be better than he’s been. His opportunities will keep coming, probably, and hopefully he’ll turn the corner.”

Another opportunity for Ringo to play could come against the Giants if Jackson isn’t cleared to return by then. But he might not be the only candidate for the job. Corner Jakorian Bennett, who has been on injured reserve with a pectoral ailment since late September, is eligible to have his 21-day practice window opened this week.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Bennett was acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders during training camp in exchange for defensive tackle Thomas Booker. He saw limited action through three regular-season games, playing just 24 defensive snaps in spot duty.

Fangio said his assessment of Bennett preinjury was “incomplete” because he didn’t play enough. He also hesitated to define his precise role upon his eventual return to the active roster.

“He hasn’t practiced,” Fangio said. “You can’t practice when you’re on IR. So once we open up his window and get him on the practice field, see where he’s at, I can answer that better. But, obviously, he’s a guy we’ll take a hard look at.”

The Brandon Graham farewell tour of 2024 is getting a reboot.

The 37-year-old defensive end officially announced his return to the Eagles on Tuesday morning on his podcast, Brandon Graham Unblocked, saying, “We’re coming back, baby. We’re coming back one time.”

Additionally, the Eagles made the move official, announcing that they agreed to terms with Graham. He has a two-game exemption to ramp up that the team can lift at any time, so he doesn’t count against the active roster just yet.

Graham initially retired in March following the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX win. He had been playing at a high level early in the year but suffered a torn triceps twice last season, once in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams and again in the Super Bowl, his first game back from the injury. Lifting the Lombardi Trophy for a second time seemed to serve as a natural ending to his Eagles tenure.

But it wasn’t his perfect storybook ending. Graham acknowledged on the podcast that he “would’ve been back, for sure” had Howie Roseman asked him to return for a 16th season.

“I really didn’t want to retire in the beginning,” Graham said. “It was kind of tough. But it was like, ‘Hey, Philly right now, they’ve got everything they need.’ So it’s like, ‘All right, I ain’t see myself on no other team.’ So it was kind of like, ‘I think this the best way to do it is go out on top.’”

Graham continued to stay in shape, though, and visited the NovaCare Complex. At the start of the season, Graham said Roseman contacted his agent in need of a veteran, inquiring if he would be interested in returning to the team. Graham said he wasn’t ready then.

Roseman then signed Za’Darius Smith, a 33-year-old pass rusher, following the Eagles’ Week 1 win over the Dallas Cowboys to bolster the edge rusher corps. While Smith made an immediate impact, registering 1½ sacks through five games, he retired last week after 11 seasons in the NFL.

But in the aftermath of that call with Roseman, Graham continued to think about how he would respond if he was approached with another opportunity. Graham took Smith’s surprise retirement as a sign. This time around, Graham was ready for his opportunity to return.

Graham said he still feels like he has some “juice left” to give on the field, acknowledging that he feels “springy and bouncy.” He said that he’s eyeing the Eagles’ Week 10 matchup against the Green Bay Packers as a potential first game back, but he didn’t rule out Sunday’s game vs. the New York Giants.

Regardless, he’s open-minded about the role that awaits him.

“I don’t have no expectations with it,” Graham said. “It’s just more like I’m going to just bring myself and bring the energy. Go out there, first play, ‘Oh, you thought I was done? You thought you wasn’t going to have to deal with me?’ Get to all that little fun stuff, man, because, obviously, we play a game that I enjoy playing. Of course, it was hard, because, just being honest, man, all of us, I don’t care how many years you play. It’s just something that you’re just used to all the time, and you’re trying to get used to that next-best thing.

“Of course, I was doing a lot of stuff, but when that ball came and the Eagles was on, I was locked in. I know I’m going to get better with it as it goes, but, man, while I can still do it and the opportunity feels like it’s right, I feel like that’s exactly what I want to do. And that’s what I wanted to do in the beginning. But I know that it was Year 15, it’s just a great way to go out. But, hey, I don’t want to have no regrets, either.”

Graham said he was “flattered and thankful” that the opportunity from the Eagles came back around. He added that he “might cry” coming out of the tunnel on Sunday.

Not only is he looking forward to chirping at his opponents, but he’s also excited to bring his signature energy to his teammates for his first practice on Wednesday.

“I can’t wait to go out there and be like, ‘Lane [Johnson], what’s good?’” Graham said.

Seven months after he gave a tear-filled speech announcing his retirement following 15 seasons with the Eagles, Brandon Graham is set rejoin the team, league sources told The Inquirer.

Momentum toward a deal was building over the weekend, and league sources confirmed to The Inquirer Sunday that the wheels were in motion for Graham’s return to football.

Graham on Monday night posted on social media a teaser to a Tuesday morning announcement that he’ll make on his podcast, Brandon Graham Unblocked. PHLY Sports, which hosts Graham’s podcast, said a deal was agreed to Monday.

Graham, 37, is the Eagles’ all-time leader in games played with 206, a number he will add to, and his 76½ sacks rank third in team history. He returns to the Eagles at a time when they desperately need help at his position.

An already thin group of edge rushers took a hit last week when Za’Darius Smith abruptly retired from football. Then Azeez Ojulari went down with a hamstring injury during the first quarter Sunday in Minneapolis. Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo are both on injured reserve with triceps injuries. Smith is due back, likely after the Week 9 bye week, but Okoronkwo’s season is over.

A reunion with the Eagles became more of a possibility as the injuries mounted, and Graham is a low-cost addition who adds depth and leadership to the defense. They still might make a move for another pass rusher. The rush had a stronger performance Sunday, with Joshua Uche earning his first sack of the season, but the edge rushers have not consistently gotten to quarterbacks for impact plays.

The Eagles had an open spot on the 53-man roster and do not have to make a corresponding move after adding Graham.

It’s unclear how much ramp-up time Graham will need before he sees the field. The Eagles play Sunday at home vs. the New York Giants before hitting their bye week. They come out of the bye with a Nov. 10 Monday Night Football game in Green Bay.

Graham admitted he played better than he even expected last year during what was supposed to be his farewell tour of sorts. But his regular season ended when he suffered a torn triceps in a Week 12 win over the Los Angeles Rams, against whom he picked up his fourth sack of the season. It was possible at the time that Graham’s NFL playing career ended on the SoFi Stadium field, but he made a remarkable comeback to play in Super Bowl LIX.

Graham logged 13 snaps during the Eagles’ blowout win in New Orleans in February, but he also suffered a second torn triceps. His retirement life has featured his own podcast, Brandon Graham Unblocked, and public appearances.

How impactful will he be on the field? That question doesn’t have a clear answer. The Eagles entered Sunday with just nine sacks, and only six teams had fewer. They got two more Sunday, one from an edge rusher, but lost another in the process. Graham might be more useful at the start against the run, helping to set the edge.

But players in the Eagles’ locker room Sunday, hours after reports surfaced that Graham’s reunion with the Eagles was possible, spoke more about his off-field presence.

Graham would bring “the juice, the energy, the vibe,” linebacker Zack Baun said. “He just lives his life with so much to give. Obviously his play as well. I thought last year, him retiring, he was at the point where he could still do a lot and still go out there and play and play well. But I think we miss his vibe in the locker room.”

Edge rusher Patrick Johnson, who has been with the Eagles since 2021, with a brief stop with the Giants last season, said he’d seen the rumors on social media. If Graham was to return, Johnson said he’d be a welcomed presence to his position group.

“He’s going to bring that spark that we need for sure and that leadership,” Johnson said.

Graham’s former locker stall was given to Za’Darius Smith, whose role with the Eagles was to include a veteran presence for a position group in transition. Smith was logging 26-plus snaps per game with the Eagles, and while the team probably won’t ask Graham to step into that kind of workload, at least not right away, they will ask him to step back into that stall and assume his typical off-field duties.

“BG is BG, man,” said defensive tackle Moro Ojomo, who leads the Eagles with three sacks. “He’s just an amazing guy. I love to be around that guy.

“Jeffrey Lurie said it last year, said it perfectly, that there are people that are energy takers and energy givers and BG is an energy giver, and I think we all feel that.”

As social media and sports radio chatter ramped up last week about a potential return, Graham tiptoed around the topic on his podcast last Wednesday.

“You’re always going to feel like you can do something,” he said. “You want people to grow, too, and right now it’s hard for some people. It’s hard, especially for the young guys.

“They got some battles that they got to fight, but if they do it together, they’ll be in a good spot.”

Now, he’ll be part of helping that happen.

Staff writer Jeff McLane contributed to this story.