Injured Eagles star takes big step toward possible Super Bowl return

The Philadelphia Eagles opened the practice window for defensive end Brandon Graham on Thursday, per a team announcement. The move opens the door for him to potentially make a return to the lineup in the Super Bowl next Sunday. 

Graham has been sidelined since November with a torn triceps, an injury that was expected to end his season and potentially his career. The 36-year-old Graham has been considering retirement, so if he does get a chance to play against the Kansas City Chiefs, it could be his final game in the NFL. 

He has played in two Super Bowls for the Eagles, making one of the biggest plays in their Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots when he made the game-clinching strip-sack fumble against Tom Brady. 

Along with his contributions to a championship, he also is the Eagles' all-time leader in regular-season games played (206) and is third on the team's all-time sacks list with 76.5 in his career. 

He has mostly been a role player in recent years as the Eagles have built up a younger, retooled defensive front, but he still had 3.5 sacks this season prior to his injury.

If he is able to work his way back, the Eagles should probably have limited expectations for what he will be able to do. He will almost certainly be on some kind of a snap count and probably not anything close to 100 percent. That said, having him in there for a few snaps, or even just for leadership on the field, would probably be a huge emotional lift.