Brandon Graham's 'Ted Talk' for Bubble Players

The Eagles' star edge rusher offered some advice for those uncertain about their future as teams whittle rosters to 53 players

PHILADELPHIA - For the vast majority of his lengthy NFL career, Brandon Graham has never had to sweat a cut-down day.

The veteran star was insulated from uncertainty early in his tenure by his draft status as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2010 draft and later by his performance as one of the better two-way edge rushers in the league.

In between, though, Graham did learn how the other half lives thanks to Chip Kelly.

“Chip was going to let me go at one point [in 2014] because he liked another guy, Travis Long, over me,” Graham said. “And Travis got hurt last preseason game, and I stayed and balled out and I became the starter and the rest is history.”

Known for his unrelenting energy Graham’s brush with football mortality created a sense of empathy that the Eagles’ star carries to this day.

And it’s only elevated this time of year when 80 turns into 53 in the blink of an eye.

Reports started circulating of some of Philadelphia’s early cuts on Monday afternoon but that didn’t stop the team from practicing with others who will surely be unemployed by Tuesday at 4 PM.

“I just tell them you never know what’s on the other side,” Graham said when asked by SI Eagles Today about the advice he offers bubble players.

Handling rejection isn’t always the easiest thing to do for the human psyche and Graham admitted some players can get caught in a dark place once released.

“I just try to keep them on the positive because I see a lot of guys going into their cave and don’t come out,” said Graham. “... But I don’t want people to hide. I want people to keep living, keep on enjoying yourself because we don’t know when our day is going to be over.”

Ultimately, everyone’s day ends in what is a young man’s league.

At 34 and coming off an Achilles injury, Graham understands he’s closer to the finish line than the starting gun but his goal remains 15 years in the NFL.

“To see [Ray Lewis] play 17 in one place, and me already at 13, and I couldn’t have dreamed that because it doesn’t happen as often,” said Graham. “I know there were a couple of periods of not knowing if I’m going to be back or not …I just trying to make plays and get that bust label off me.”

And that’s essentially Graham’s message to those who won’t be getting much rest tonight.

“You just keep your attitude right, and keep treating people the (right) way,” he said. “Don’t treat people how you feel. Try to control your emotions as best as you can. Just know that something else is going to shake.”

Burning bridges is never the answer.

“I feel like you’re here for a reason, and whatever that reason may be, you might figure it out later,” he said. “But you might need somebody later on, down the line, that you might cross paths with. They might be like, ‘I like the way you handled yourself during a little adversity. Come over here and check it out, and see if you like this.’”

Part football star, part motivational speaker, Graham’s “Ted Talk” should be the default setting in every NFL building.

“I just always tell the guys, ‘as long as you gave the max effort of what you can do, that’s all you can do,” said Graham. “You can’t control what other people feel because you don’t know their plans. All you know is your plans. So keep your plan the plan.

"If you want to play in this league, keep working and somebody hopefully either gets you, or you end up using this platform that you’re on right now to get to where you’re trying to go.”

Situations are never permanent and the right mindset can lead to better days down the road.

“You want to make sure that you don’t let situations dictate how you’re feeling, how you’re going to treat somebody or go about your day,” Graham explained, “so I try to have them thinking about the positive even though sometimes, in that moment, that’s not always the right thing that you want to do.

“You want to feel bad for yourself, and you feel like you’re a failure. But really, it’s not that. It’s just sometimes it’s a numbers game. Sometimes it’s a money game. … And you’re just the odd man out, but that don’t mean that it’s over.”

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Sports. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talker Jody McDonald, every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com and JAKIBSports.com. You can reach John at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen