Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham comes out of retirement

Brandon Graham (Mr. Schultz, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports on Thursday, defensive end Brandon Graham of Detroit, Michigan is coming out of retirement to rejoin the Philadelphia Eagles. Graham initially retired in March at age 36, and will need some time to get back into game shape. He will not be playing on Sunday when the Eagles host the New York Giants. This will be a redemption game for Philadelphia as they got their butts kicked by the Giants on October 10 by a score of 34-17 in New York. 

Where Graham will be able to help is stopping the run. In the Giants win over the Eagles, New York running back Cameron Skattebo had 110 total yards.

Graham played 206 games for the Eagles from 2010 to 2024. He had 487 combined tackles (359 solo tackles and 128 assisted tackles), 126 tackles for a loss, 153 quarterback hits, 11 pass deflections, 22 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries for 24 yards, one fumble recovery for a touchdown, and 76.5 sacks. Graham’s touchdown from a fumble recovery was for 16 yards and came in a 43-35 Eagles win over the Los Angeles Rams on December 3, 2017.

Graham did not play for over two months in 2024 because of a triceps injury. However, he did play in the Super Bowl, and was part of an Eagles team that beat the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22. In 11 games, Graham had 20 combined tackles (15 solo tackles and five assisted tackles), six tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and one forced fumble. The forced fumble and two pass deflections came in Eagles wins. The forced fumble came in a 37-17 Eagles triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals on October 27. The first pass deflection was on November 3 in a 28-3 Eagles win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the second pass deflection was in a 37-20 Eagles win over the Los Angeles Rams on November 24.

While with the Eagles, Graham was part of the Philadelphia team that won the Super Bowl in 2018. He was also selected to the Pro Bowl in 2020. With the recent acquisition of Micah Parsons in Green Bay, I have more appreciation for the defensive end position.