Has Brandon Graham Proved Capable of a Full-Time Starter Role for Eagles?

It wasn’t that long ago when the prevailing opinion was that Brandon Graham had no future with the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, all of a sudden, he might be the defense’s best option at outside linebacker.

Derrick Gunn for CSNPhilly.com broke the news last week that the Eagles are already floating new contract offers at Graham, which, frankly, makes a lot of sense. Trent Cole is still ahead of Graham on the depth chart, but the 10-year veteran is a likely cap casualty in the offseason. The team also can’t trust 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith to take over when he hasn’t even cracked the rotation yet.

Philadelphia may very well need Graham in 2015 and beyond. There are just two problems. 

YR	GMS/STARTS	TKL	SK	FF
2014	15/1	42	5.5	4
2013	16/0	19	3.0	1
2012	16/6	38	5.5	2
2011	3/0	4	0.0	0
2010	13/6	13	3.0	2

First is what kind of contract is Graham worth. Gunn tells Geoff Mosher for CSNPhilly.com that the Eagles offered the impending free agent a four-year deal worth $6.2 million per season with $11 million guaranteed. However, Graham—who will turn 27 in April—is said to be looking for a deal in the range of $30 million total, $20 million guaranteed.

While the two sides are not oceans apart, they’re not close, either. There’s also the possibility Graham will want to test free agency regardless, as the best deal is almost always on the open market.

The second question is whether Graham can handle a starting role. The former 13th overall pick has been a better situational pass-rusher than he’s often credited for some time now, but whether or not he could sustain such high levels of production when he’s on the field for every play is largely unknown.

Fortunately, the Eagles got a chance to evaluate just that on Saturday. Graham made his first start since 2012, playing a career-high 60 snaps in the process, according to the game charters at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). And while it was just one game and doesn’t necessarily prove how he would hold up over a full season, the good news is Graham was every bit the force in the fourth quarter he was at the opening.

Graham wasn’t credited for a sack against Washington, but he did rack up six tackles, not to mention a bunch of quarterback pressures. Here is No. 55 in the first quarter, lined up in his usual spot wide to the right on 3rd-and-7, working against left tackle Trent Williams, who is very good when healthy:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

At 6’2”, Graham is a hair shorter than most pass-rushers, which can work to his advantage. Here, he’s trying to dip underneath and inside of Williams, but the tackle has that move covered. This is where Graham’s high motor comes into play, however:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Graham spins off of Williams’ block, and just like that, the outside linebacker is eye-to-eye with the quarterback. Robert Griffin III just gets the pass off, but takes a shot for his troubles, not to mention it takes a juggling catch to convert the third down:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

More often than not, when the defense can get that kind of pressure in a quarterback’s face, the pass is going to fall incomplete. Nothing more Graham could’ve done there.

The big curiosity is what does he have left in the fourth quarter?

As it turns out, a lot.

Look at where Graham engages Williams on this pass attempt. Williams—Washington’s lone Pro Bowl selection—is 337 pounds; Graham is 265. You would think the offensive lineman would eat up a straight bull rush from a smaller defender:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Graham gets Williams on his heels though, and winds up driving him straight back into Griffin. As the play is coming to an end, Graham even dumps Williams into the end zone for good measure, which unfortunately did result in an injury to the offensive lineman:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

That’s strength.

Here Graham is going back to the well on that inside move, this time on Williams’ backup. He swims right past the left tackle and lands another hit on the quarterback on this play. And despite having only one functioning arm, Williams would re-enter the game two snaps later:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

That’s quickness.

And just for good measure, Graham is still going full speed as Washington runs down the clock on its final drive. The game is likely over with Philadelphia headed for a loss, but Graham is still chasing down the ball-carrier from the backside, hoping to force a fumble and keep his team’s season alive:

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

That’s heart.

It was only one game, but Graham did not wear down while playing every single one of the defensive snaps. He didn’t exactly dominate Williams, but he did get quite a few quality, lunch-pail pressures on the quarterback working against one of the better left tackles in the NFL. This performance was nothing to be ashamed of.

We should expect no less, really. Based on metrics from Pro Football Focus, Graham is ranked among all 3-4 outside linebackers in pass-rush productivity, a stat that combines sacks, hits and hurries per number of pass-rush attempts.

That type of production doesn’t necessarily show up in Graham’s totals—5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles—but up until Week 16, he was only on the field for roughly one-third of the defensive snaps. Extrapolate those numbers over, say, three-quarters of the workday, and we’re looking at a potential Pro Bowler.

Has Graham proved he’s capable of a 16-game grind as a starter? It's impossible to say, but with Cole’s cap figure set to balloon to $11.6 million in 2015, according to Spotrac, and all the uncertainty around Smith, I’d say the Eagles have little choice but to find out.

Assuming they can come to terms with Graham on an extension, that is.