{"id":18738,"date":"2024-11-25T06:48:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T06:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=18738"},"modified":"2024-11-25T06:48:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T06:48:54","slug":"brandon-graham-suffers-triceps-tear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=18738","title":{"rendered":"Brandon Graham Suffers Triceps Tear"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Brandon Graham<\/a><\/strong> made Eagles history this year, becoming the first player in franchise history to suit up for a 15th season with the franchise. The 36-year-old edge rusher also made an impact in Sunday night\u2019s game, but it is now expected to be his last this season \u2014 and potentially his final NFL contest.<\/p>\n

Following the game, Graham said (via ESPN.com\u2019s Tim McManus<\/a>) he suffered a triceps tear. This injury regularly shelves players for extended periods, and while it may be slightly premature to deem Graham done for the season, he went as far as to proclaim his campaign is over.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>While this injury comes for an Eagles team that just lost Bryce Huff<\/a><\/strong> for a period due to a wrist injury. Huff landed on IR this week but is expected back later this season<\/a>. For the time being, an Eagles team flush with D-end investments will be shorthanded.<\/p>\n

As for Graham, it is fair to speculate on whether Sunday night will be his NFL finale. The Eagles have continued to sign the 2010 first-round pick to one-year contracts, and he put off retirement to play a 15th season this year. Graham said this offseason he would retire<\/a> after the 2024 season, though he did not confirm that when asked postgame.<\/p>\n

Graham left the Eagles\u2019 Week 12 win over the Rams during the fourth quarter. He sacked Matthew Stafford<\/a><\/strong> once and compiled three QB hits in Philadelphia\u2019s convincing road victory. If Graham\u2019s season is over, he finishes with 3.5 sacks and seven QB hits in 11 games. The Eagles have Josh Sweat<\/a><\/strong> and Nolan Smith<\/a><\/strong> still healthy on the edge, and the team drafted Jalyx Hunt<\/a><\/strong> in Round 3 this year. The Eagles regularly pour premium assets into their lines, but the 9-2 team is now down two regulars.<\/p>\n

The Eagles re-upped Graham on a one-year, $4MM deal in March<\/a>. This came when the club\u2019s \u201cCore Four\u201d split via the retirements of Jason Kelce<\/a><\/strong> and Fletcher Cox<\/a><\/strong>. Graham and Lane Johnson<\/a><\/strong> remain, though it has been expected the quartet would lose another member after this season. Steve Smith<\/a><\/strong> famously put off retirement because he suffered an injury in what was to be his exit year (2015), but it remains to be seen how Graham will handle his own late-career setback.<\/p>\n

Drafted before the other three core Eagles linemen, Graham has 79 sacks for his career. This does not include the Super Bowl LII takedown of Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong>, a forced fumble that became one of the most iconic plays in Eagles history. The sequence led to the Eagles staving off the Patriots and winning their lone Super Bowl and celebrating their first championship since 1960.<\/p>\n

Graham has started 106 games but has settled in as a rotational rusher, accumulating a career-high 11 sacks during the 2022 season \u2014 an NFC championship campaign that nearly broke the 1984 Bears\u2019 single-season sack record of 72. The Eagles finished with 70 sacks that year. Tonight marked the Michigan alum\u2019s 206th as an Eagle \u2014 13 more than the next-closest player (Kelce). Graham broke Chuck Bednarik<\/strong>\u2018s mark by playing a 15th season with the franchise.<\/p>\n

Philly let Haason Reddick<\/a><\/strong> seek a trade, preceding what turned out to be a messy year for the accomplished sack artist, and Sweat is due for free agency in 2025. The team has Graham in place as an apparent stopgap, given his offseason retirement comments, and Huff has seen his role diminish despite signing a three-year, $51.1MM deal. It will be interesting to see how Philly goes about reassembling its pass-rushing puzzle following its two recent setbacks, and monitoring Graham\u2019s future plans \u2014 which appear less clear now \u2014 will be necessary in the coming months.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n