Philadelphia Eagles: For Brandon Graham, 2022 is just gravy

When Brandon Graham went down in Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season, it put the harsh reality of his future into full focus: The Philadelphia Eagles‘ longest-tenured player will soon move from the active roster to the alumni section of the website.

Since BG left the gridiron of Lincoln Financial Field with a torn Achilles, Josh Sweat has made good on his potential – and contract – Haason Reddick had signed a three-year, $45 million deal, and Jordan Davis became the first defensive tackle drafted by the Birds in the first round since 2012, when a guy by the name of Fletcher Cox went 12th overall.

Fact in the return if Derek Barnett, who re-signed on a three-year, $15.21 million deal, that’s really more of a one-year $7 million deal, and the exact role Graham will be tasked with performing this fall is rather up in the air and could look a bit different than what fans are used to seeing from the 55.

But do you know what? At this point, what does BG have left to prove? He’s gone from being called a bust to a franchise legend, has outlasted every other player from his draft class, and, oh yeah, recorded one of the most important plays in franchise history mere moments before winning the Super Bowl. Anything he contributes to the team in 2022 is just gravy on top of a fantastic career with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Brandon Graham can still have a role with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.

It’s hard to really know what Jonathan Gannon had planned for Brandon Graham in 2021 because he barely got a chance to see the field. Over two games of active on-field action, Graham played just  50 defensive snaps, in addition to three more on special teams. Then again, when you watch those games back, the infrastructure is there from which to make some pretty good assumptions.

Against the Atlanta Falcons specifically, Graham was consistently used as a hands-on-the-ground defensive lineman, either deployed as a traditional 4-3 end or as more of a traditional 3-4 defensive end. Though he does technically have more experience as a standup rusher than any other player on the roster, a role filled in Week 1 and beyond by Genard Avery, Gannon appeared set on using Graham as a defensive lineman only, which makes sense, considering Jim Schwartz used The Michigan product all over his defensive front to feast on mismatches via his impressive bull rush.

At 34, it’s hard to imagine Graham getting more athletic when he returns from a torn Achilles, so keeping him in a similarly hybrid defensive lineman role should not only keep him on the field more than he would be relegated exclusively to a pure 4-3 end, but also maximize his opportunities to make an impact on the field versus opposing fronts. Despite his lack of prototypical size for the position, Graham does have the makeup and mentality to be a legit run-stuffer deployed inside of an offensive tackle’s shoulder and thus, could remain a rotational favorite, especially when deployed next to Jordan Davis as the team’s closed side defensive end.

Goodness, there’s even a world where, on very obvious passing downs, Graham and Milton Williams could serve as the team’s defensive tackles, with Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat filling the defensive end roles. While that probably wouldn’t be the best look to use all of the time, or especially against the run, a NASCAR-style speed package could be effective if deployed correctly, as Schwartz would often do back in the day.

Is this the year Brandon Graham returns to form? Will his 2022 look like his 2020, where, at 32, the pride of Detroit, Michigan finally made it to a Pro Bowl? Or will his age catch up with him, with the playing time allotted from Jonathan Gannon following suit? Only time will tell but either way, BG’s legacy is more or less set, with any additional on-field efforts serving as nothing more than gravy on top of a storied career.