Eagles star Brandon Graham shares expectations for Gannon’s defense

Have a day ladies and gentlemen (or two or three). It’s been hard to come down off of the high that has permeated every discussion involving the Philadelphia Eagles roster. Sure, the young guys will have to prove they belong in the NFL, and James Bradberry will have to prove that 2021 was just an ‘off-year’ as opposed to a sign of things to come, but the Birds are looking pretty doggone good on paper.

So, if you’re excited about the addition of Bradberry, no one’s going to tell you to take your foot off of the gas pedal… for now. It’s May, and there’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s okay to feel the buzz you’re feeling. You’ve earned it.

That 4-11-1 season wasn’t that long ago, so you’ve earned the right to feel a little pride when talking about your team. Trust us on this one, Eagles players are excited too.

Recently, Brandon Graham shared a few thoughts on what you should expect from the BIrds on defense.

Brandon Graham joined 94 WIP-FM and discussed his expectations for the Eagles’ defense.

In situations like this one, there’s no better place to go to find a quote than the sources themselves right? B.G. spoke with Angelo Cataldi and the Morning Team on Philadelphia’s 94 WIP-FM sports talk radio, and he shared a few thoughts on how he believes the Eagles’ defense in 2022 will look much different than the one we saw last season.

"I believe that last year a lot of guys suffered from injuries, and he probably had a plan to do certain things and bam! That happened. I feel like this year we got a whole bunch of people. I’m excited man because I really do feel like he gonna open it up even more just based on some of the stuff that I know of what we’ve been doing."

Philly’s defense often looked unprepared when playing the better quarterbacks on their schedule. They had moments of sustained success, but in order for this team to take the next step, they have to generate more sacks. They have to be able to cover to allow their pass rush the opportunity to get home. Additions like Haason Reddick and James Bradberry should allow them to do that. The excuses are over for Jonathan Gannon.

Here’s more from Graham:

"(Being able to cover) gives you more time and with the rotation we have, you should see how much times we almost got there just because nobody took away their first read. (The) pass rush goes with the coverage, once the coverage takes away the first lead the d-line should be there. And then sometimes the D-line affects the throw and the coverage gets the pick, so it kind of works both ways."

We’ve asked for upgrades at cornerback and at linebacker, and the offseason and draft have provided that. Philly still has concerns about the safety position, but there’s no reason to believe that they’re done juggling their roster.

Graham sat out most of the 2021-2022 NFL season after tearing his Achilles in Week 2 and finding his way onto the injured reserve on September 21st. Prior to that, he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2020.

He’ll be back and is on schedule to start in Week 1. That’s good news, and with the mix of youthful exuberance and veteran leadership this Eagles team has, this could be a fun defensive unit to watch all season.