Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Eagles helmet during Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Eagles Could Solve Pass Rush With Retired Legend

Originally posted on Philadelphia Eagles on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Oct 19, 2025 12:42 PM ET

The Philadelphia Eagles have a clear need on the edge right now and it sounds like an old friend is at least interested in the possibility of helping to fix it.

Philadelphia's pass rush has taken hits left and right all season with the latest being the sudden retirement of Za'Darius Smith. Now, the Eagles seemingly are at a crossroads and need to find a way to bolster it if the team wants to get its defense back on track. The Eagles have just nine sacks total on the season ahead of their Week 7 clash against the Minnesota Vikings. And now with Smith out the door, something needs to be done.

That's where old friend and team legend Brandon Graham could come into the picture. On Sunday, reports started to surface about Graham potentially wanting to come out of retirement to help this Eagles team, including from ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Could the Eagles' old friend make a return?

"With Za'Darius Smith retiring, former Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham is now strongly considering coming out of retirement to sign with Philadelphia, league sources told ESPN," Schefter said. "Graham played 15 seasons in Philadelphia and became the longest-tenured Eagle in franchise history. The two-time Super Bowl champion now could be close to building upon those marks if he and the Eagles can finalize a contract this week, according to sources."

"Comeback? Eagles great Brandon Graham is mulling coming out of retirement, per me and Mike Garafolo, and the veteran edge could return for a 16th season," Rapoport said. "Graham retired after the Super Bowl, but with his old team in need of pass-rush help, he might return as soon as this week."

This is big news. The fact that two of the most plugged-in insiders in football both talked about the possibility throws a lot of fuel into the fire. Last year, Graham had 3 1/2 sacks in 11 regular season games. On top of this, he also had a triumphant return from a seemingly season-ending triceps injury to return for the Super Bowl. He was the heart and the soul of the team and that's been missed this year.

Graham could help the pass rush if he's healthy. More importantly, though, he could provide a veteran spark that the team seemingly needs. The 2025 season has been anything but smooth. Despite a 4-2 record, most of the chatter about the team has been negative. The Eagles are the reigning champs and have a chance to do something special this year. Bringing in a guy like Graham to help right the ship in the locker room wouldn't be the worst idea, by any means.

This article first appeared on Philadelphia Eagles on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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