Eagles legend Brandon Graham reaches a new career milestone
We’ve probably told this story 1,000 times, and every time Brandon Graham does anything significant, we feel the need to tell it again (or at least some variation of it). Once upon a time, the Philadelphia Eagles made a huge draft-day decision. They traded up in Round 1 of the 2021 NFL Draft. Many thought, at the time, that they were doing so to select Texas Longhorns star Earl Thomas. After all, Philly had struggled to find a suitable replacement for Brian Dawkins. The Birds, instead, went with a defensive end from the University of Michigan. The rest, as they say, is history.
Thomas’ career got off to a faster start. He’s viewed by many as a Pro Football Hall of Famer, but B.G. is no slouch. The 2022-2023 NFL regular season follows one in which he missed all but two games due to a ruptured Achilles. Thomas hasn’t played a game since January 11th of 2020.
During Week 17’s game versus the New Orleans Saints, Graham set a new personal best. He notched a double-digit single-season sack total for the first time in his career thanks to two sacks on the afternoon. He now has 11 on the season. The Birds have four players on the roster with a double-digit sack total. That’s an NFL record.
Ten sacks on the season by Brandon Graham are a personal best.
Prior to Week 17, Brandon Graham had appeared in 183 games with 110 starts. That includes seven playoff games. Every single one of them have been in an Eagles jersey. In 2016, he earned a Second-Team All-Pro nod. He was added to the Pro Bowl roster in 2020. We can successfully argue that he deserved at least three more, including this season, but that’s another story for another day.
B.G. is the author of the most famous strip sack in Super Bowl history. Now, he’s added two more thanks to Andy Dalton. By doing so, he has 11 on the season. That’s a personal best.
He has long secured our vote for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year. Oh, and by the way, regardless of what happens the rest of the way, he’s our Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.