Brandon Graham is considering ending his retirement and rejoining the Eagles, league sources told The Inquirer, and the wheels are in motion for the defensive end to possibly return to playing football seven months after he left the sport.
The Eagles were already down multiple edge rushers before Za’Darius Smith’s surprising retirement on Monday, and Graham, 37, would provide some needed depth with Nolan Smith (triceps) still on injured reserve.
PHLY Sports, which produces Brandon Graham Unblocked, Graham’s weekly podcast, was first to report the news Sunday morning. ESPN also said Graham was “strongly considering” ending his retirement.
Graham, who played all 15 of his seasons with the Eagles, addressed the topic at the beginning of his podcast on Wednesday, although he did his best to not reveal much about where his mind was. He didn’t rule out a return. He said he was “flattered” that his name was being mentioned.
“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.”
Perhaps they’ll have Graham back in the building to help them along.
Graham announced his retirement in March after making a surprising return from a triceps injury to play in the Super Bowl. He is third all-time in Eagles franchise history in sacks (76½) and first in games played (206).
It’s unclear how quickly Graham could ramp up if he is to rejoin the Eagles. He suffered a second torn triceps during that victory and has probably not been working out like a professional football player in the seven months since he announced his retirement.
Graham would be a low-cost addition to the edge rushing corps, one that, when Nolan Smith returns, includes Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Joshua Uche, Azeez Ojulari, and Patrick Johnson. Of that group, only Johnson had a sack this season entering Sunday as the pass rush struggled to get home. Smith is likely to return after the Week 9 bye. But the Eagles took another hit Sunday when Ojulari went down with a hamstring injury and did not return.
The Eagles wouldn’t need Graham to come in and replace Za’Darius Smith’s 26-plus snaps per game workload. Graham played about 28 snaps per game last season before suffering what was thought to be a season-ending injury in Week 12. But the Eagles could certainly use some help in the rotation and Graham would help set the edge against the run.
More than what he brings to the field, the Eagles could also use Graham’s leadership on defense. They brought in Za’Darius Smith after Week 1 because they needed more talent, but also because of his veteran status. He even assumed Graham’s former locker and vowed to be a mentor. He had assumed the locker stall vacated by Graham, one that remains open as of this week.
“BG is BG, man. He’s just an amazing guy,” defensive tackle Moro Ojomo said. “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.”
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun said Graham would bring “the juice, the energy, the vibe. 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.”
Graham was pretty effective during his farewell tour last year. He factored in on his fourth sack of the season before he got hurt against the Rams in November.
He returned for the Super Bowl ahead of schedule and logged 13 snaps. Graham retired a few weeks later and was flanked by two Lombardi trophies on the stage inside the auditorium at the NovaCare Complex. He cried before finishing the first sentence of the speech he prepared.
He closed his speech with this: “E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles. Fly, Eagles fly. My last one. BG out, baby.”
Perhaps it wasn’t his last one, after all.
Staff writer Jeff McLane contributed to this article.
