NEW ORLEANS — Brandon Graham woke up when the overnight flight home from Los Angeles touched down at Philadelphia International Airport the morning of Nov. 25, and for a second, he thought maybe it was a nightmare.
“Damn, this ain’t no dream,” Graham said later that night. “This is real.”
His season, he and the Eagles felt at the time, was over — his farewell tour cut short by a torn left triceps that required surgery and was a blow to the Eagles’ depth at edge rusher. He put on a smiling face that night on his radio show at Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philadelphia but admitted afterward that he was “sad” and “sick.”
The way the 36-year-old had turned back the clock in 2024 and provided the Eagles with much more than just a veteran talker in the room made people wonder whether this season really would be his last. Then came the injury — Graham was chipped by a Rams running back and felt something in his elbow area — and the possibility of that Nov. 24 game in Los Angeles being the last for one of the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII heroes.
More than two months later, though, Graham, improbably, is back from the injury that was supposed to derail his farewell tour. The Eagles officially activated Graham from injured reserve Saturday, and he will play in Sunday’s Super Bowl vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.
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It had been trending in this direction since the Eagles opened Graham’s 21-day practice window following their NFC championship victory over the Washington Commanders. Graham was a limited participant in every official Eagles practice since the window opened before being upgraded Friday to a full participant. He said earlier this week in New Orleans that he intended to play Sunday.
It remains to be seen how effective Graham will be in his return. He surprised many with his play before the injury and played nearly half of the team’s defensive snaps through the first 11 games while being one of the Eagles’ highest-graded players by Pro Football Focus. He had 3½ sacks and 20 total tackles in 11 contests, up from three and 16 in 17 games last season. The Eagles, to their credit, have barely missed a beat with Graham out. Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith have been reliable rushers, and rookie Jalyx Hunt has been more than capable as his snap count saw an uptick.
“Once I get surgery, I think I’ll be a lot better because then I can count down the days until I’m better,” Graham said in November.
That timeline was supposed to extend beyond Sunday. But Graham knew as it got closer that playing Sunday was possible. He told his teammates that if they got past Washington, returning for the Super Bowl was within reach.
“I just went out there and worked every day, hoping and praying that we made it here,” Graham said this week. “Now that we’re here, they’re giving me an opportunity to show what I can do.”
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As for the future …
“Let us get through this one, and then we’ll talk about it,” Graham said.
“I’m excited to play this last game. I don’t know what the future holds. But if this is my last game, I’m going to give it everything I have.”
The Eagles placed reserve offensive lineman Nick Gates on injured reserve with a groin injury to make space for Graham on the roster. They also elevated fullback Khari Blasingame and linebacker Nicholas Morrow from the practice squad for Sunday’s game.
The Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.