What Are Our Expectations For Brandon Graham This Season?

That was was Brandon Graham's message on twitter this morning as the Eagles second year defensive end is set to come off the PUP list this week after undergoing knee surgery last season. When the Eagles traded up to take him at #13 in the 2010 draft, it was clear that Graham's development was going to be a key to the Eagles defense for the next several years. He certainly showed some flashes early last season, but tore his ACL in a week 14 game against the Cowboys and was lost for the season.

And finally this weekend, ironically against those same Cowboys, he could make his return. Graham has been somewhat of an afterthought after the summer of the lockout, the Eagles preseason spending spree and then the disappointment of the first six games of the season. But his return is no small event. at Michigan, Graham was one of the best defensive players in the country, a first team all American, MVP of the senior bowl and a guy many draftniks had him pegged as a possible rookie of the year candidate.

But all that said, how much can we expect him of this season? We know from experience that guys don't usually come flying out of the gate in their first few games back from a major knee injury. In fact, many never fully recover the following year. And for Graham, who had to have microfracture surgery to repair his damaged knee, the recovery time could be even greater. So is he likely to have a dramatic impact on the defense in the short term? Probably not, but would we see as a successful second half for the Eagles second year man?