With the midseason retirement of defensive end Za’Darius Smith, the Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher was beginning to look a little thin. However, reports have been swirling Sunday that former defensive end Brandon Graham is now strongly considering coming out of retirement to join the Eagles for the 2nd half of the NFL season.
The 37 year old returned from a torn triceps muscle last year to play in the Super Bowl, before announcing his official retirement in the offseason. Graham played the entirety of his 15 year NFL career in Philadelphia, registering 76.5 sacks, 126 tackles for loss, and 153 QB hits. He was the longest tenured Eagle in franchise history, and recorded 11 sacks as recently as 2022.
According to reports, Graham has missed the game, and is strongly weighing his options. Per Adam Schefter, a return would only be in the cards if he were to join Philadelphia as the veteran free agent doesn’t plan to try to catch on with another team at this time.
Philadelphia has long been known as a franchise that can get after opposing QB’s. However the club lost Graham, Josh Sweat, and Milton Williams along their defensive line following the 2024 NFL campaign.
Their pass rush then got even thinner still when Nolan Smith Jr., and Ogbo Okoronkwo were both placed on IR with triceps injuries earlier this season.
The usually stout Eagles defence currently ranks 21st in the league in total defence, allowing 342.8 defensive yards per game. Their rushing defence in particular has struggled, currently ranked 27th in the NFL and allowing opponents on average, 134.3 yards per game on the ground.
With only 9 sacks on the year, Philadelphia has struggled to make things rough on opposing QBs as well. Only the Ravens, Bears, Jaguars, Jets, 49ers and Panthers have fewer sacks on the year than the Eagles. On the other side of the coin, the Denver Broncos have amassed 30 sacks on the season which is over 3x more than Philly.
While no definitive decision has been made by either Graham or the Eagles front office, if a reunion were to occur, it would make sense for Graham to possibly make his debut in Week 10 against Green Bay. This would give him Week 8 plus a bye week to get back up to game speed with the Eagles defensive unit.
Philadelphia travels to Minnesota on Sunday to take on the Vikings in a 1pm ET showdown.
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