2x Super Bowl Champion Brandon Graham Is Coming Out Of Retirement To Save The Eagles Defense
Mitchell Leff. Getty Images.Brandon Graham is a hero and a legend in the city of Philadelphia. He'd never have to do anything again for the rest of his life, and he'll forever be remembered as one of the greatest to ever come through this city. He's a heart and soul guy who helped led the Eagles to 2 Super Bowls. That puts him in the rarest of company.
All of this is to say that Brandon Graham doesn't need to come back to save the Eagles defense. This roster had zero depth at defensive end to begin with, and then it got even worse when Za'Darius Smith decided to retire out of nowhere. But that's not Brandon Graham's problem. He put in his time for this franchise. This is a man who tore his tricep in week 12 last year as a 36-year-old, playing in what was supposed to be his final year. Instead of just packing it in and calling it a career, he worked his ass off to recover quicker than should be humanly possible. He recovered just in time to play in the Super Bowl, played some meaningful snaps, and then re-tore his tricep in the Super Bowl. All because that's how much this team means to him.
So no. Brandon Graham doesn't need to do anything. He doesn't owe the Eagles a damn thing. But that's not going to stop him from coming back out of retirement anyway…
We saw the Eagles offense start to find their groove yesterday in Minnesota. The run game is still ass right now, but the passing game was feeling spicy. But the defense still left a ton to be desired. This defense goes stretches at a time where they can't get a stop. They can't get to the quarterback, they can't stop the run, and they get carved up for 7-8 yards every play. We can't act like a 37-year-old Brandon Graham coming back off of his couch is going to completely shut down opposing offenses or anything.
….but we also can't act like he's not going to have an immediate impact, and make that defense better. And one of the biggest ways he's going to change that defense is going to be in the locker room. It's been pretty obvious that the defense lacks leadership right now. They're young and dumb. Jalen Carter doesn't have an ounce of self-control, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are too young to really be that voice. And Zack Baun is bald.
The Eagles defense needs a leader, and there's nobody better than Brandon Graham for that role. He was a leader in that locker room for 15 years already. He'll be able to keep the young guys in check, but he's also going to make sure they still play with an edge. Brandon Graham is one of the most ruthless shit talkers to come through the NFL. He's going to give the defense their identity back, and that's going to make everyone better.
Back in the win column. BG coming out of retirement. I think the Eagles got their swagger back.