Brandon Graham Ready For Final Season Opener After 15 Years, Unless...

The veteran defensive end, now 36, will play his final season opener and talked about his future.

Brandon Graham (left) and Nolan Smith go through a ladder drill prior to one of the Eagkes' training camp practices. / Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

PHILADELPHIA – The expectation is that Brandon Graham’s reps for the Eagles this season will hover around 20 per game, give or a take, but nobody really knows that for sure.

This is Vic Fangio’s defense now, and he’s an old-school coach with an old-school mentality. If Graham can be effective, maybe his snaps will be more than what anybody is expecting.

What we are certain of when it comes to the one affectionately known as BG is this will be his final season, which means Friday will be his last season opener, because he will call it a career after 15 seasons have been logged.

Like he has done since he arrived in the first round of the 2010 draft, Graham will simply continue to be himself even as his emotions begin to tingle as kickoff against the Green Bay Packers (8:15 p.m.) gets closer.

“It’s gonna be me smiling as always,” he said before the start of Sunday afternoon’s practice. “Time is flying as you know. We’re here already, but I think for me it’s more about just about breathing it all in, remembering the views, remembering the conversations that just happen naturally and just be the best me I can be. Then hopefully when we’re holding that trophy at the end I can always reminisce and think about every detail of it.”

Graham, 36, talked about his next stop. He wants to share a locker room with Jason Kelce again. The now-retired Eagles center has his own space inside the Eagles’ South Philly facility.

“We’ll be doing stuff upstairs (in the front office) rather than in here,” he said. “But I want to enjoy everything.”

Graham was sked if anything has been nailed down along those lines.

“Nah, nah, I’m just saying,” he said. “That’s not official. I’m just speaking. Who knows? I don’t know what my future holds, for real. It’s an option for sure.

“I just want to be a part of this team because we have a good thing going right now and I want to make sure I give everything I can even as a player or whatever I mean to this organization after. I’m just speaking future because I know I want to be a part of it.”

It will probably happen if Graham wants it, because the Eagles have a soft spot for some of their favorite players who have an affinity and passion for the “other” side of football. Former players they have brought into the organization include Connor Barwin, Darren Sproles, and Brent Celek.

Graham will be next.

The only thing that could potentially foil those plans would be if Fangio gives him more snaps than expected and Graham converts the extra reps into the second double-digit sack of his long career.

Now, that would be something to talk about.

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