“That’s just the personality that he has – always smiling, always in an upbeat mood. You want to be around people like that and there aren’t many of them out there. Brandon is one of a kind, so to have him back lifts up everybody. He is one of the leaders of this team because of the example he sets every day.”
The Eagles added significant talent to the defense in the offseason after seeing the impact of Graham’s loss in 2021. Prior to his injury, the Eagles played dominating football in the Week 1 win at Atlanta and through most of the first two quarters of what turned out to be a loss to the 49ers before Graham went down. Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s group hung in there and helped the Eagles reach the postseason by limiting big plays and by keeping opponents off the scoreboard – in 10 games the Eagles limited offenses to 18 points or fewer, tied for the most such performances in the league. But they knew they needed more talent on that side of the ball, so when March rolled around and free agency opened the Eagles brought in some weapons – pass-rushing and edge-setting linebacker Haason Reddick, weakside linebacker Kyzir White, cornerback James Bradberry, defensive tackle Jordan Davis in the NFL Draft, and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson just before the regular season opened.
Those additions, along with Graham’s return, set the stage for a revitalized defense. And while we are still very early in this 2022 season and there are inevitable ups and downs to come, the Eagles have shown signs of significant defensive improvement. White tipped a pass that Bradberry intercepted and returned for a touchdown in the opening-day win in Detroit. The Eagles came together in Week 2 and shut down a potent Minnesota offense to win a Monday night game. Last Sunday, Graham paced the defense with 2.5 of the team’s nine sacks – the most by an NFL team this year to date – in the 24-8 domination of the Washington Commanders, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his illustrious career.
Today, the challenge is again significant against an up-and-coming Jacksonville offense led by promising second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
“Every week, man, I’m just loving going out there and having some fun and playing this game again,” Graham said. “I missed playing so much last year. Not being with the guys, it was so hard. I’m just so happy being here and being part of this thing. I feel we have a chance to do something special….
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