Defensive end Brandon Graham will soon be a free agent, and though he will turn 35 next month, a number of teams are interested in his services, as Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). Graham, who has been a member of the Eagles since he was drafted by the club in the first round of the 2010 draft, would prefer to finish his career in Philadelphia but is willing to move on if he can land a larger contract elsewhere.
An Achilles tear limited Graham to just two games in 2021, which made his 2022 performance particularly remarkable. In his age-34 season, the Michigan product tallied a career-high 11 sacks as a key part of the Eagles’ league-best pass rush, and Pro Football Focus also assigned him a solid 69.7 overall grade for his efforts against the run. In all, PFF considered him the fifth-best edge defender among players with enough snaps to qualify.
Snap count, however, could be a factor in Graham’s negotiations with interested clubs. His performance in 2022 was doubtlessly aided by the fact that the Eagles could keep him fresh, having deployed him in only 43% of their defensive plays (as opposed to snap rates between 69% and 76% in each of his prior six healthy campaigns). It stands to reason that, at this stage of his career, Graham would be utilized as more of a rotational player, which is perhaps why Spotrac projects him to land a one-year deal worth a fairly modest $5.7MM.
Still, there is plenty of need for rotational defenders with the ability to get after opposing quarterbacks, and just about every team could use such a player if the price is right. Per McManus, the Browns are among the clubs with interest in Graham, which makes sense given the recent tension between Cleveland and Jadeveon Clowney, who is also set to hit the open market. The Browns may also be an attractive landing spot for Graham, who would have the opportunity to line up opposite two-time First Team All-Pro Myles Garrett.
Philadelphia came up just short in its quest for a second Lombardi Trophy, and the team has plenty of high-profile contributors eligible for free agency, including Javon Hargrave, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, James Bradberry, and Miles Sanders. GM Howie Roseman, who will also be navigating extension talks with QB Jalen Hurts, has acknowledged that he will simply be unable to retain all of his pending FAs (Twitter link via Zach Berman of The Athletic). One wonders if Roseman will prioritize another contract for an aging, albeit productive, player like Graham.
Still in Philly please Brandon
The Browns’ interest in Graham probably has as much to do with having hired Jim Schwartz as anything related to Clowney
Both can be true. They desperately needed DL help even before bringing on Schwartz.
as an Eagles fan it would suck to see him to leave but CJ is the main priority.
They won’t have to just choose one.
They might not be able to retain any of the high profile guys – Graham, Cox, Hargraves, TJ Edwards, K. White, CJGJ, Epps, Seumalo, Dillard, Bradberry- they all has great years and are going to want to be compensated for it. I’d like to see CJ, Cox,Graham & White/ Edwards back,as they may be the best young FA (CJ) & most affordable talented with the others