Philadelphia Eagles DE Brandon Graham gets some much-deserved shine
Don’t look now, but Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is a part of PFF’s team of the week following his showing in Buffalo versus the Bills.
Ladies and gentlemen, Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is no stranger to slow starts or being ignored. In his first 80 games, he made only 23 starts. Things flipped in his sixth NFL season, and since 2015, he’s started all 55 of the games he’s played in over that time.
If you’re an Eagles fan, especially one who subscribes to the underdog mentality, you know that the owner of the most famous strip-sack in the history of the Super Bowl has seen more than his fair share of snubs.
Even though he’s been very deserving of several Pro Bowl nods, being named Second-team All-Pro in 2016 pretty much sums up his list of accolades in the NFL.
In Week 5 of 2019, ’55’ came up huge with six total tackles and three sacks. Again, he was ignored and a sure NFC Defensive Player of the Week nod was given to someone else. Graham’s 29 total tackles, five sacks, and additional ten hits on the quarterback have been a bright spot in an up-and-down season.
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After another great game in Orchard Park versus the Buffalo Bills, he came up huge again, registering a key strip of Bills signal-caller Josh Allen. That helped turn the tide of that game in Philly’s favor, and as a result, the stat gurus over at Pro Football Focus named him as a member of their team of the week following his performance.
Here’s some of what they Austin Gayle, the writer of this one, had to say.
"Among all NFL defensive linemen with at least 25 defensive snaps played in Week 8, Graham ranked first in overall grade (92.6) and run-defense grade (95.5). He had two defensive stops and a forced fumble defending the run on Sunday."
Might an actual Pro Bowl nod follow? Eight games remain on the schedule, and if Graham has a few more big-time performances in him, this could still be a big season for his Eagles team as a collective and a nice season for him. If you’re an Eagles fan, you have to hope that’s exactly what happens.