Philadelphia Eagles’ Brandon Graham Lands All-Pro selection
Defensive end Brandon Graham just finished the best season of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and has earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Since being a first-round selection in 2010, Eagles fans patiently waited for Brandon Graham to resemble the man seen at the collegiate level. Graham was drafted by Andy Reid and never took flight partially due to injuries early in his career. Then, the Eagles hired Chip Kelly as coach, and he brought a new defensive scheme which forced Graham to switch to outside linebacker. There, Graham tried to find his way while having to balance responsibilities in the passing game.
Graham and Schwartz, the dynamic duo:
Enter 2016. The Eagles hired a new coach in Doug Pederson. Then, one of his first hires he made was Jim Schwartz. Schwartz, who didn’t coach in 2015, had previously been the defensive coordinator in Buffalo and Tennessee. He had also been the head coach in Detroit for four years. Schwartz’s arrival couldn’t have peaked anyone’s interest more than Graham. Why? Graham once won MVP of the Senior Bowl, and Schwartz was his coach.
Now, Graham is looking back on the most productive season in his career. Every team in the NFL is now aware of the ferocity that Graham plays with and how he creates concern in both the passing and running game. In Schwartz’s first season, Graham outplayed defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and was even in the conversation as an outlier for the defensive MVP award for the league.
Graham’s influence on opposing offenses was irrefutable. Schwartz only rushes his four defensive linemen, and that caused difficulty for Graham at times. His strength and athleticism gave him the upper hand at times, and that forced offenses to leave running backs and tight-ends in for protection. That, sometimes, resulted in difficult situations for the Eagles’ defense as the extra protection often created more time for quarterbacks to find open receivers.
What the numbers say
Graham finished second on the team with 5.5 sacks, first with 29 quarterback hurries and first with two forced fumbles. He had a hot start in 2016 as he notched a sack in each of the Eagles first three games. He finished the season with 80 total sacks, hurries, and quarterback knockdowns. Graham’s success didn’t go unnoticed. He’s been selected as an alternate for the Pro Bowl, and he could likely get a call.
Moving forward, the Eagles will need Graham to continue to develop and set the edge for their defense. Graham’s ability to bull-rush tackles has been what Philly fans have been waiting for. In the future, Graham needs to only continue to improve on maintaining containment and do a better job of closing holes. With Cox in the middle and Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham playing behind him, the Eagles front-seven has a strong foundation.