Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2024 season.
25. Brandon Graham
The 2024 season will be Brandon Graham’s final NFL season.
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And he’s not taking anything for granted.
“For this to be my last year, I’m happy to go out with a team like this,” Graham said in the spring. “Now, we just gotta put in the work. I’m just enjoying every second of this mandatory. I ain’t in no rush to go nowhere. Because at the end of the day, the only time I’m going somewhere is to take baby girl to gymnastics or baby boy to wherever he got to go to. Family stuff. But I’m definitely enjoying supporting everybody.”
The 2010 first-round pick will play in his 15th season in 2024. He has said for many years that his goal was to play 15 years in the NFL and he’s going to get that chance after re-signing on a one-year deal this offseason.
Graham, 36, is an incredible story of perseverance. Once labeled a first-round bust, Graham worked his way up to a contributor, starter, Pro Bowler and hero with his strip-sack in Super Bowl LII. Now, it’s hard to imagine the franchise without him.
NFL
By playing this season, Graham will surpass Chuck Bednarik for the most seasons played in an Eagles uniform. Just Bednarik and Graham have played 14 seasons. And he will add to his record 195 games played in an Eagles uniform. The guys behind him are Jason Kelce (193), Fletcher Cox (188) and David Akers (188), so this record will be safe for quite a while.
As much fun as the Graham Farewell Tour will be in 2024, the Eagles didn’t keep him around to be a mascot. They’re still going to be relying on him this season in Vic Fangio’s defense.
While Graham isn’t expected to be a starter, he’s still going to be an important part of the edge rusher rotation. Last season, Graham played 395 snaps (34%) and even if that drops in 2024, he’s still going to see some important snaps. And in a rotation with a bunch of other question marks, Graham will still need to produce.
It would be foolish to expect an 11-sack season like he had in 2022 but Graham was still productive last year with 3 sacks, 6 QB hits and 4 TFLs. Those numbers might not seem elite but the advanced metrics suggest that Graham was still bringing it last season.
PFF ranked Graham as the 23rd best edge rusher in the NFL for the upcoming season. Not only has he been a productive pass rusher but he also graded out extremely well against the run for a defense that pretty much collapsed down the stretch.
The best-case scenario for the Eagles is that Graham will thrive in a minimal role, allowing the younger players to take the bulk of the snaps. Even if that happens, though, Graham is extremely important to the spirit of the team.
It’s going to feel very weird next year not having Graham on this list.
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