First things first, Brandon Graham is almost fully healed from the ruptured Achilles tendon that ended his 2021 campaign. The 34-year-old expects to hit the ground running at spring OTAs — slated to start on May 31 — as he continues to rehab every day since the injury occurred on September 19, 2021.
Graham recently appeared on JAKIB Media’s Sports Take where he declared himself “OTA ready” and back to normal. The Pro Bowl defensive end’s biggest concern heading into the 2022 campaign is “getting his lungs right.” With training camp two months away, Graham has plenty of time to work on conditioning and weight training. The jovial pass rusher might be better than he was before the injury.
“I feel like I’m me again, if not better,” Graham told Derrick Gunn. “But I’m back to normal, man. It’s just getting my lungs right. It’s like the offseason. I’m off the protocol of just rehabbing every day. It’s just more so training and getting my body right and making sure I can run around for longer, doing different workouts and different stuff like that.”
He missed 15 games last season after going down in Week 2 against San Francisco. It marked the first time in his 12-year career that he hadn’t played at least 15 games since 2011, which was his second year in the NFL. Graham ranks fourth on the Eagles’ all-time sack list with 59 — 30 of them have come in his last 65 games.
Thanks for a fun day at the #EasterEggRoll, @WhiteHouse!
#FlyEaglesFlyDoes Graham want to break the franchise record? Maybe. He boldly declared that he wants to play for three more seasons despite having just two years remaining on his current contract. The Eagles are going to have to make a decision on his future next season.
“I want to get to 15 years, then I’ll really consider it [retirement],” Graham said. “I just love this game. I can’t lie. I know I’ll have to deal with it when I have to deal with it.”
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Graham Remains Longest Tenured Athlete in Philly
When the Philadelphia Flyers traded Claude Giroux on March 20, it made Graham the longest-tenured athlete in town. He has 12 years of service in Philly after going 13th overall in the 2010 draft.
Jason Kelce would be the next closest on the Eagles’ roster with 11 years. Fletcher Cox sits behind Kelce with 10 years. As far as the other major professional sports, it’s a tight list: Sean Couturier (Flyers), Aaron Nola (Phillies), Joel Embiid (Sixers).
Eagles Get Their Emotional Leader Back
Graham’s infectious smile was noticeably missing from the Eagles’ locker room all year. He is their emotional leader, team captain, and best pass rusher — not to mention a great human being. His absence hurt the Eagles on multiple levels.
“It’s terrible,” Lane Johnson said after Graham went down in Week 2. “He’s probably one of the greatest humans that I’ve had the pleasure of playing with and competing with for eight, going on nine years. He’s really the heartbeat of this team by the way that he conducts himself, the way that he leads, and the way that he plays.”
Eagles Star Addresses Achilles Rehab, How Many Years He Wants to Play