Brandon Graham Finally Getting a Chance to Start for Philadelphia Eagles

One of the most surprising developments in an offseason that’s been full of them for the Philadelphia Eagles was Brandon Graham re-signing with the team. It’s seriously sort of amazing he even made it to the end of his rookie contract with the Birds.

Not that long ago, Graham was buried on the depth chart, did not fit in Philly's scheme and written off as another first-round bust by just about everybody. Now, for the first time since the Eagles traded up in the 2010 draft to select Graham 13th overall, he’ll have a true opportunity to start in the NFL.

That’s the thing a lot of people who trashed Graham probably don’t realize. Has he lived up to his pedigree in five seasons as a professional? Not exactly—but he never really got the chance, either.

YR	GMS	TKL	SK	FF
2014	16	47	5.5	4
2013	16	19	3.0	1
2012	16	38	5.5	2
2011	3	4	0.0	0
2010	13	13	3.0	2

Injury derailed Graham’s career early on. He was enjoying a promising rookie season until suffering a torn ACL in a game in December. It turned out to be worse than initially feared, as Graham later revealed he had undergone microfracture surgery to repair the damage, a procedure that comes with a far lengthier and less predictable recovery.

Graham’s 2011 campaign was essentially nonexistent. He dressed for all of three games before being shut down for the remainder of the year.

In the meantime, the Eagles had brought in Jason Babin during free agency to help alleviate Graham's somewhat anticipated absence. Babin wound up registering 18 sacks that season, solidifying a starting job at defensive end opposite veteran Trent Cole.

In other words, by the time a healthy Graham returned in 2012, he was stuck behind a pair of Pro Bowlers on the depth chart. Babin was eventually released by Philadelphia during a disastrous 4-12 season, allowing Graham to start the final six games, during which he racked up four sacks. Yet despite proving he could play, the opportunity was short-lived.

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When Chip Kelly was hired as head coach in 2013, with him came the 3-4 defense and a position change from defensive end to outside linebacker for Graham. The Eagles also signed Connor Barwin to help ease the transition, leaving Graham once again blocked by Cole on the depth chart.

Graham remained a reserve last season, yet much more comfortable with the new scheme, he delivered a career year. Despite lining up for just 43.1 percent of the defensive snaps in 2014, according to Football Outsiders, the 26-year-old recorded 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles.

Of course, Graham’s rise wasn’t a complete surprise to everyone. Based on a statistic called pass-rushing productivity by Pro Football Focus—a formula that measures sacks, hits and hurries per snaps played—Graham has been one of the best in the NFL at pressuring opposing quarterbacks for quite a while.

YR	PR SNAPS	SK	PRESSURES	POS. RK
2014	293	5.5	51	1
2013	158	3.0	24	7
2012	205	5.5	45	1
2011	28	0.0	5	-
2010	257	3.0	36	t-11

In 2012, Graham was ranked first by far among all qualifying 4-3 ends in pass-rushing productivity. In 2013, he ranked seventh among qualifying 3-4 outside linebackers, a position he had never even played before. In 2014, Graham climbed back to the top of the pile, finishing No. 1 among the outside linebackers.

It’s safe to say that despite being limited to a situational role all these years, Graham has been wildly underrated by most NFL observers and even many from the Philadelphia fanbase. Finally, he’ll have a shot to live up to his draft billing.

Cole’s contract became an issue for the Eagles this year, and the two-time Pro Bowler was released when the two sides couldn’t come to terms. It seemed the club might lose Graham as well, as he opted to test free agency when his rookie deal expired, but ultimately he decided to return with a four-year pact worth $26 million, according to Spotrac.

The only concern with projecting Graham as a starter is how he’ll hold up in a full-time role over a 16-game season. Otherwise, there’s no question he can rush the passer. He’s stout against the run. He’s still a little stiff in coverage and likely will never look smooth out there, but it’s not because he’s out of position. It is only a small aspect of the job, anyway.

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Graham has even turned himself into a quality special teams contributor, which shows a lot about his perseverance (as if the rest of his story doesn’t). The fact that he could’ve left for a fresh start somewhere, not to mention a better fit as an end in a 4-3, also speaks volumes about his commitment.

There will be some who may never come around on Graham, particularly knowing the Eagles passed on All-Pro safety Earl Thomas with that pick. Safety has been a huge need for Philadelphia every year since that draft, while Graham hadn’t so much as cracked the starting lineup until now.

And time will tell whether Graham can live up to his potential now that he’s going to be an every-down player. When somebody is picked 13th overall, there’s an expectation he’ll make it to multiple Pro Bowls.

Regardless, after five long seasons having to work his way back from the bottom, Graham will finally get a shot to prove himself one way or the other, something he’s not had in the NFL up to this point. How can you not root for the guy to succeed?