When it was revealed that beloved fan favorite and two-time Super Bowl champion Brandon Graham would be coming out of retirement in October to help out the Philadelphia Eagles, the news caught fans off guard.
At the time, the Eagles desperately needed another option off the edge as their pass rush was not generating consistent pressure. Despite Graham being 37 years old, Philadelphia thought that he would be a net positive on the field and in the locker room with his veteran presence.
However, Graham’s on-field play was not as good, as he did not register a sack, a quarterback hit, or a tackle for loss, but had six pressures through his first four games. In fact, some Eagles fans even questioned why Graham came back just to run cardio.
That said, the Eagles found a new way to utilize Graham on defense, having the veteran line up inside at defensive tackle. The DT experiment showed some promising signs in Week 14, but on Sunday, it paid off against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 15.
Eagles’ Brandon Graham-DT Experiment Shows Promise in Blowout Win
In Sunday’s 31-0 win at Lincoln Financial Field, the veteran defensive lineman took advantage of a bad Raiders’ offensive lineman. Graham recorded his first two sacks of the season, while also adding two quarterback hits, two pressures, and a tackle for loss.
If you’re an Eagles fan or defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, this is exactly what you wanted to see from Graham, especially with Jalen Carter still sidelined. Without Carter, you are losing a dominant presence in the middle, who can wreak havoc in the opposing team’s backfield.
Not one player will be able to make up for the loss of Carter. Instead, it will take a group effort to get the job done. Last week, it was Byron Young who had his breakout game. This week, it was the wily veteran in Graham.
According to Pro Football Focus, Graham recorded a 70.2 pass rush grade in Sunday’s win, which was his second-highest grade this season (70.4 vs. Detroit in Week 11). Graham might not have the speed to win on the outside consistently, but he has just enough, plus the strength to create some pressure on the opposing team’s interior offensive line.
When Carter does return to the field, Philadelphia will have to figure out where they can throw Graham into the defensive tackle rotation. You know your main guys are Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo.
However, if you can get Graham at defensive tackle for 5-8 snaps, and he can get a couple of pressures, plus a sack, that would be considered a win. Right now, your rotation at defensive end is playing tremendously to the point where you don’t need Graham there.
When he was brought back, the idea was for Graham to be at DE, but he’s starting to flourish as a defensive tackle, which no one saw coming.