Eagles approached Brandon Graham about return much earlier than previously thought

Brandon Graham seemed open to a return soon after retiring

Graham left the door open for a potential return immediately following his retirement, and the veteran admitted he “got that itch” to continue playing after attending a training-camp practice. It took more than a month for the actual deal to come to fruition, but as expected, Graham will soon be lining up on the edge for the Eagles defense.

While the Eagles added some much-needed pass-rushing help to a defense that’s tallied only 11 sacks this season, they may not be done. Even before they added Graham, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the front office was sniffing around for some cornerback depth.

Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell have accounted for the majority of the team’s snaps at cornerback this season, with Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo also taking on some leftover reps. Pro Football Focus has DeJean graded as the league’s eight-best cornerback this season, while Mitchell ranks 38th among 112 qualifiers. However, both Jackson and Ringo rank towards the bottom of the position in those same metrics, so the team is logically in the market for some reinforcement.

DeJean has seen the majority of his snaps as a slot CB this season, while Jackson and Ringo have mostly played out wide. DeJean’s versatility means the team doesn’t necessarily have to settle on an outside CB, but that would be the presumed target as they inch towards the trade deadline.

Russini also noted that the Eagles were seeking some help on the edge, although her report came out before news of Graham’s signing. For what it’s worth, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com hinted that the Eagles weren’t done adding to the position, even with Graham back on the roster.