Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Brandon Graham may not yet have reached Earl Thomas status, but he's still set to hit the NFL's free agent market in March with a full head of steam and plenty of suitors ready to spend a pretty penny to bring him in and then let him loose on the opposition.
Graham, who will forever carry the stigma of having been selected by the Eagles one spot ahead of Thomas, the Seahawks All-Pro safety and Super Bowl Champion, in the 2010 NFL Draft, is still communicating with the Philadelphia front office on the eve of his first foray into free agency.
"Meanwhile, the lines of communication between the team and Brandon Graham remain open, we're told," reports Tim McManus of Philly Mag. "Back in December, the Eagles expressed interest in bringing Graham back on a four-year, $24 million deal ($6 million average). Graham's camp is looking for something in the $7-8 million per year range. They are in the process of gauging the market. One source put the chances of Graham re-signing in Philly at 50-50, though others close to the pass-rusher offered significantly longer odds, believing a 4-3 team would ultimately win out."
That last point is maybe the most important.
Four-three edge rushers, whose job description centers solely on attacking the quarterback and stopping the run if need be, tend to receive far more lucrative contracts than 3-4 outside linebackers who are often tasked with dropping into coverage, setting the edge on run plays and then getting after the quarterback.
Graham, a 4-3 end for the first three seasons of his career, made the switch outside when head coach Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Billy Davis arrived and implemented a base 3-4. He showed signs of really settling in at the new spot last year, finishing the year with 46 tackles, 5.5 sacks and four forced fumbles and was rated as the most efficient pass rusher in the league by PFF - he's also PFF's highest rated edge defender per 100 snaps over the last three seasons.
But with the team already paying Pro Bowler Connor Barwin an average of $6 million per season as a full-time outside 'backer, it's hard for the Eagles to justify handing a heftier contract to Graham, who has been a part-time player the last two years.
Fortunately, other options abound for Philadelphia in the NFL's marketplace - Washington's Brian Orakpo, Baltimore's Pernell McPhee and Cleveland's Jabaal Sheard - but they all come with questions and it will be up to the Eagles brain trust to decide if the edge rusher you know is better than the edge rusher you don't.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds, a player Kelly and the Eagles showed interest in last offseason before he was slapped with the transition tag is reportedly garnering huge interest among pass rush needy teams already.
"Word out of Indianapolis was that upwards of 20 teams have expressed some level of interest in the five-year pro," McManus revealed.
Worilds would have signed with the Eagles last year, according to Adam Caplan, but was unable to due to the tag.
