While all the storylines center on A.J. Brown being traded to the New England Patriots, another is brewing after the news became official.
The Eagles released defensive end Brandon Graham after his contract expired after the June 1 deadline, making him a free agent. Graham unretired from the NFL last year and signed a one-year deal with the Eagles. He posted three sacks for the team in games against the Washington Commanders and Las Vegas Raiders.
Graham has played his whole 16-year career with the Eagles after the team selected him in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2016 and a Pro Bowl selection in 2020, racking up 156 quarterback hits and 79.5 sacks in 215 career games
When will Brandon Graham return to the Eagles?
Graham has repeatedly expressed his desire to be back in an Eagles uniform for the 2026 season. The feeling is mutual, as Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has also publicly stated that Graham is welcome to return to the team whenever he is ready.
That becomes the bigger question: when would Graham come back to the team? Last year, he waited until about midway through the season to unretire and return due to the alarming number of injuries on the defensive line.
The expectation is that Graham won't wait as long and should be on the roster before the season starts. He may not want to go through all that comes with training camp, so he could wait until later in August to return and sign his one-year deal.
One even bigger question is what kind of impact Graham will have on the team after being moved to more of a defensive tackle position last year. He actually found some success there, so he could very well be in the rotation with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo in the middle instead of coming off the edge.
Read more: DeVonta Smith is all "business" as Eagles' new WR1 after A.J. Brown trade
Eagles fans may have to wait out the whole summer to see how it turns out, but all indications are Graham will be back dominating the defensive line for the franchise. It's just a matter of when he comes back.
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