Philadelphia Eagles: Brandon Graham gets snubbed again by the Pro Bowl

After putting together the best season of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, defensive end Brandon Graham has been snubbed once again by the Pro Bowl.

The Philadelphia Eagles have six players headed to the 2017 NFL Pro Bowl.

While fan favorites Carson Wentz, Zach Ertz, Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Fletcher Cox and Malcolm Jenkins will all be traveling to Orlando, Florida to take part in skills challenges, press junkets and obviously the game, one player whose name was noticeably absent from the list is Eagles defensive end, Brandon Graham.

Graham, a former first-round pick from Michigan, hasn’t always been a fan favorite, but through hard work, dedication and a seemingly limitless work ethic, he’s quietly become one of the best defensive ends in the NFL. After spending three seasons playing linebacker in then-defensive coordinator Billy Davis‘ 3-4 scheme, Graham moved back to defensive end, his natural position, and has become an absolute terror off the edge in Jim Schwartz‘ 4-3 scheme.

Over the last two seasons under Schwartz, Grahm has amassed an impressive 15 sacks and 71 total tackles and is only half of a sack away from recording the first double-digit sack season of his career, and the tender age of 29.

Once considered a “draft bust” by many fans who’d have preferred the team select Texas safety Earl Thomas, Graham has become a true leader on this team, being named a caption this offseason, while also consistently delivering the goods when called upon on game day.

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So, you may ask, why isn’t Graham headed to his first Pro Bowl?

Well, it could be because he just isn’t as well known as many of his compatriots. While virtually every offensive coordinator, right tackle, and quarterback worth their salts are aware of Graham’s feverish bull rush off the edge, few fans outside of the City of Brotherly Love would be able to pick the 6-foot-2 lineman out of a crowd, let alone vote for him for the Pro Bowl.

When most fans think of the Eagles’ best defensive lineman, they will often revert naturally to Fletcher Cox, the $100 million man, and that’s to be expected. In addition to his contract, Cox has developed a well-deserved reputation as one of the leagues best interior lineman and is considered by many to be the kind of player who demands a double team on virtually every 0play. Now granted, Graham has played just as well as, if not better than Cox for much of the 2017 season, with four more sacks to show for it, but unfortunately for many voters that simply doesn’t matter.

Speaking of sacks, Graham’s 9.5 currently rank 15th in the league, behind 13 other defensive ends, and behind all six of the players selected to take part in the Pro Bowl. Now Graham definitely does bring pressure on virtually every play that he’s in the game, but one of the few critiques many outside observers have had about the former Wolverine, and pretty much all of the Eagles defensive lineman, is that he simply doesn’t bring the QB to the ground.

Countless times this season fans have been treated to the sight of opposing quarterbacks like Eli Manning, Russell Wilson and Cam Newton running for their lives as Graham, Cox, Derek Barnett, and Timmy Jernigan, another Pro Bowl snub, chasing them around the backfield, only to see the ball be thrown away seconds before impact. While this certainly does impact the opposing team’s play calling and has helped to alleviate some of the pressure from the Eagles secondary, this dirty work doesn’t appear on the stats sheet and therefore becomes less relevant to a beauty contest like the Pro Bowl.

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Sure, Graham could still very well end up getting a Pro Bowl nod, as some players will obviously not be able to play in the game, due to injury, the Super Bowl, or just general disinterest, but it’s a shame that after putting together arguably the best season of his eight-year career, Graham has nothing to show for his efforts. For a player who’s had to fight for everything he’s earned as a pro, and is currently only the third highest paid player on the Eagles’ defensive line, behind Cox and forgotten man Vinny Curry, it’s a shame that Graham’s hard work wasn’t rewarded with a trip to the Pro Bowl.

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