Bring Back Brandon?

Brandon Graham has spent his entire career with the Eagles. He’s played in 127 games, racking up 42.5 sacks and 17 forced fumbles. Beyond the numbers, he made one of the biggest plays in Eagles history. I’m guessing you might remember this.

BRANDON GRAHAM WILL NEVER HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER MEAL IN PHILLY THE REST OF HIS LIFE pic.twitter.com/hpiJObZdc2

— Barstool Sports (@barstooltweetss) February 5, 2018

While Graham’s place in Philadelphia sports history is secure, his future with the Eagles isn’t.

Graham is a free agent. He will turn 31 in April and is hoping to sign a big contract, probably his final chance to make top money.

The Eagles like Graham as a person and as a player. This is the kind of guy you’d like to keep around for his whole career. The problem is value. Graham wants to be paid like a top pass rusher. Graham is on the wrong side of 30 and he’s never put up great numbers.

How much is Graham worth, to the Eagles or another team?

That’s a tricky question. There are a lot of good pass rushers available. Rotoworld has him ranked as the 9th best free agent pass rusher. We still have some veteran cuts to be made so that could make things even more diluted for Graham.

Then you factor in the draft. Howie Roseman referred to this class of defensive linemen as historically good. Some teams are going to avoid spending money on veterans when they think they can find young, cheap pass rushers in April.

Graham’s agent will start talking to teams at the Combine to get a feel for what kind of market there is for the veteran DE. I don’t think there will be a lot of teams going after Graham, but all it takes is one. If it turns out there isn’t much of a market for Graham, maybe he and the Eagles will be able to work something out.

The Eagles can’t get sentimental here. They don’t have the cap space to pay for past glory. They must maximize their dollars.

It would be great to see the Eagles and Graham work something out. He’s had a wild ride in his career, with more ups and downs than a roller coaster. Graham overcame injuries, scheme changes and relentless comparisons to Earl Thomas’s success to carve out a good career with the Eagles.

The real key to this situation will be trying to figure out how good Graham will be over the next couple of seasons. His numbers were down in 2018, but Graham remains a disruptive player. He’s just not a guy who is going to take over a game. Graham gets regular pressure, but he won’t pile up sacks. The Eagles will study his player tracking data. They’ll have an idea of whether he’s started to decline or is holding steady.

If I’m guessing, Graham ends up elsewhere. He feels like the type of player (respected veteran, Super Bowl hero) that some other team will overpay for. As much as it would pain me to see Graham playing for another team, letting him go is probably the right move.

Maybe Graham will give the Eagles a hometown discount and the two sides can work something out.

Just don’t count on it. Graham has one final bite at the apple. I’m sure he’ll give the Eagles a slight discount if the sides are close, but he’s not likely to leave several million dollars on the table just to say he finished his career in midnight green.

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