Eagles Re-Sign Brandon Graham: What Does It Mean?
Brandon Graham officially announced his retirement from the NFL on March 18, 2025. Yet less than eight months later, Graham is coming out of retirement and re-signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as the team continues to look for help on the edge.
While multiple reports leaked the news early, Graham made the official announcement of his return on his weekly podcast with PHLY, “Brandon Graham Unblocked,” which he started following his retirement.
Graham appeared to be enjoying retirement from the outside looking in. He launched a podcast and made several appearances at events, including Fanatics Fest during the summer. Graham also partnered with several companies, such as Crooked Tea and Immortals of Spector Sports Art.
Yet now Graham will shift his focus back to the gridiron, as the Eagles could surely use some more help on the edge. Philadelphia’s pass rush has struggled thus far, as the team’s current edge rushers have combined for just two sacks this season.
Graham will inject much-needed leadership and experience into a young group of edge rushers. Yet he should make a significant impact on the field as well in 2025.
Prior to suffering a triceps injury last season, Graham recorded 20 total pressures in 168 pass rushing snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Graham’s pressure rate of 11.9% from 2024 would rank third among Philadelphia’s edge rushers this season, behind only Joshua Uche (14.5%) and Jalyx Hunt (13.9%).
While former Eagles legends Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox shed considerable weight after retiring, Graham has reportedly stayed in game shape. Despite some being concerned about Graham being able to play right away, a recent report stated that he’s ready to go.
According to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Graham has been working out regularly over the last month to get ready for a possible return. Clark revealed that the original plan was for Graham to return after the bye week against the Green Bay Packers, but the timeline has now been sped up.
Philadelphia’s need for help on the edge has only increased in recent weeks. Za’Darius Smith unexpectedly announced his retirement and Azeez Ojulari suffered a hamstring injury against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7.
Nolan Smith is still on injured reserve but is expected to return in Week 10 against the Packers. Ogbo Okoronkwo suffered a season-ending triceps injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4.
While the return of both Graham and Smith by Week 10 sounds good, Philadelphia can’t rely on the both of them to be the only answers on the edge. Both players are coming off triceps injuries and it would be unfair to expect them to immediately handle massive workloads.
An edge rusher group of Smith, Hunt, Graham, Uche, Ojulari and Patrick Johnson is solid on paper. Yet it feels like the Eagles could benefit from one more addition on the edge, ideally via trade with plenty of intriguing candidates reportedly available around the NFL.
The Miami Dolphins have a pair of edge rushers that have experience working with Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio in Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips. Miami likely wouldn’t want more than a third-round pick in return for either player.
New York Jets edge rusher Jermaine Johnson II might be the most intriguing target on the trade market. Johnson has experience playing at Georgia with several current Eagles players and has another year remaining on his current contract at $13.4 million.
Considering that everyone in Philadelphia’s edge room except Smith and Hunt are playing on one-year deals, it would make sense for the Eagles to add another edge rusher that is under contract in 2026. Johnson would help form a foundational edge rusher trio in the City of Brotherly Love.
The wild card on Philadelphia’s roster that could drastically alter these plans is rookie Jihaad Campbell. While he has excelled at off-ball linebacker, the return of Nakobe Dean has opened up more opportunities for Campbell to play on the edge.
If Fangio feels confident in Campbell helping on the edge, he could be the extra body that the Eagles need in that area. We’ll continue to monitor his usage over the next few weeks.
Following a rough start on the edge through the first seven weeks of the regular season, the tide could be turning in Philadelphia. Graham is officially back and he could be joined by Smith and another addition soon.