After a day of speculation, Brandon Graham is indeed returning to Philly. The veteran defensive end will be re-signing with the Eagles, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has confirmed the news. CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr reported earlier this evening that Graham was expected to make his announcement tomorrow morning. Graham has since hinted at the impending transaction via X.
A potential Eagles reunion has seemingly been in the cards since the defender announced his retirement this past offseason. After Graham left the door open to a potential return, there appeared to be growing momentum towards a move yesterday, when we learned that the player had discussed a potential deal with the organization. As Florio notes, the main hurdle to overcome was “an acceptable contract,” which the two sides apparently figured out in short order.
While the 2025 campaign will represent Graham’s age-37 season, this reunion is more than needed for the Eagles. The team has only generated 11 sacks this season, and the recent retirement of Za’Darius Smith has only further depleted their pass-rush corps. Besides filling in the leadership gap that Smith left behind, Graham should also help pick up some of the production. James Palmer of The Athletic passes along that the Eagles believe the veteran was the best pass rusher on their squad in 2024.
Of course, expectations have to be somewhat tempered following a 2024 campaign when Graham was getting into less than half of his team’s defensive snaps before he suffered a season-ending triceps injury (he returned in time for the Super Bowl, when he re-tore his triceps). Graham returned for the Super Bowl after a nonsurgical rehab route; as retirement commenced, he underwent surgery following the second tear. Considering that injury and his lack of a training camp/preseason, it seems unlikely that Graham will be able to contribute right away.
However, when Graham is ready to play, the Eagles will surely be plenty reliant on the familiar face. Graham will re-join an EDGE group that consists of Josh Uche, Jalyx Hunt, and (eventually) Nolan Smith, who is currently on IR while dealing with a triceps injury. Besides losing Smith to retirement, the Eagles also lost Ogbo Okoronkwo to a season-ending triceps injury. While that grouping should be enough to get by, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com believes the Eagles aren’t done adding to the position as they look to make another run to a Super Bowl.
Graham hasn’t been a full-time player since the 2020 season, although that didn’t stop him from compiling 11 sacks during the 2022 campaign. He collected a combined 6.5 sacks between 2023 and 2024, and he appeared in pair of playoff games during that same span. Set to play in his 16th NFL season, Graham — already the longest-tenured player in Eagles history, with this in-season signing set to widen the gap between the popular edge rusher and the field in franchise annals — will now have an opportunity to add to his franchise records (including games player and TFLs).