Eagles' Brandon Graham Paying it Forward, 'Serving' Philly's Young Core

Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is intent on making sure the team's young players reach their ceilings.

PHILADELPHIA - Hero worship is generally a bad idea because all human beings are flawed and bestowing some kind of unrealistic expectation on an athlete or entertainer is coveting disappointment.

Brandon Graham has overcome so much adversity in his NFL career that you can feel comfortable assuming that the veteran Philadelphia Eagles defensive end has had a bad day or two.

Perhaps Graham was less than himself when he thought coach Chip Kelly was going to cut him in favor of Travis Long or when he suffered a torn ACL during his rookie campaign or the ruptured Achilles that wiped out much of his 2021 season.

Now 35 and about to enter his 14th NFL season, all with the Eagles, no one has hidden the rainy days better than Graham, however.

B.G. still arrives at the NovaCare Complex with more energy than any rookie and his infectious personality sets the tone for the Eagles’ locker room.

Whether it’s talking trash to opponents or cracking jokes with his teammates, Graham is the organization’s thermostat. He controls the mood and his relentless positivity is one of the intangibles other teams may not even be aware exists.

Graham showcased that again on the first day of his 14th camp, and if you didn’t know him and closed your eyes to hide some of the peaking gray you might have thought it was No. 1 for 55.

"I'm enjoying myself,” Graham beamed when asked about his latest first day of school by SI.com’s Eagles Today. “Today was a good one. Just being out here. You know being healthy.”

Lemons don’t stand a chance against Graham because lemonade is going to come out of the back end.

Make no mistake, part of Graham’s influence is tied to the fact that he’s been a heck of a player even if it took a little bit of time after he arrived as the No. 13 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Michigan.

One of the best two-way defensive ends of his generation, Graham has been graded as a top-20 edge player in the NFL for 10 consecutive seasons by Pro Football Focus (the only exception being the injury-shortened 2021 campaign). In seven of those 10 seasons, Graham was top 10.

Ironically, more than a few described last season as Graham’s best because the veteran put up a career-high 11 sacks.

Graham, though, understands he’s far closer to the finish line than the starting gun. He was John Smoltz for the Eagles last season, once a great starter turned into a great closer in his waning years.

Graham's self-defined end game is 15 years with the same team, and because Graham is willing to work with Philadelphia from a cap standpoint and is still playing at a high level, that’s practically a guarantee.

And his final gift to the Eagles will be paying it forward by mentoring all the young talent that the Eagles have assembled on the defensive front, most notably the Georgia triumvirate of Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith.

“I mean I'm just trying to help them young guys as much as I can,” said Graham. “Trying to enjoy being on a good team because at the end of the day I mean you're 14 years in, still feeling good but I just want to serve, just want to serve them boys. Get them boys to the next level, keep this thing going.”

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.

Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen