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While reporting that Carson Wentz will NOT be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to start Eagles training camp, NFL insider Chris Mortensen did note some other members of Philadelphia’s roster would be.
Brandon Graham is likely to be one of those players, according to a report from Geoff Mosher.
Brandon Graham likely to start training camp on PUP, I'm told. Had ankle surgery in May, played with the ankle sprain in Super Bowl.
— Geoff Mosher (@GeoffMosherNFL) July 25, 2018
Unlike Rapoport’s report about Wentz from this morning, this one actually makes sense. Graham was unable to participate in the Eagles’ spring practices since his surgery took place in May.
Speaking to reporters after a June OTA practice, Graham did say he was “ahead of schedule” in his recovery. (As if a player ever says they’re behind.) The veteran defensive end also added that his goal is to be ready by Week 1.
For the Eagles’ sake, hopefully Graham is right and he’ll be ready. If he’s not, placing him on the active/PUP for now allows him to eventually be placed on the reserve/PUP list when the regular season begins. At that point, Graham wouldn’t count against the Eagles’ 53-man roster. But he would also have to miss a minimum of the first six games.
The Eagles are so loaded at defensive end that missing Graham wouldn’t be the end of the world. They’d still have Michael Bennett, Chris Long, Derek Barnett, Steven Means, and Josh Sweat to rely upon. But Graham is a really important player, as his Super Bowl-clinching strip-sack indicated, and the Eagles are a better team when he’s on the field. Graham led all Philadelphia defensive lineman in snaps played and sacks last season.
It’s too early to panic about Graham’s availability for the season. Besides, a recent update on his status from Dave Spadaro seemed positive.
Defensive end Brandon Graham says he is, no doubt, going to be ready for the opener, so while he may not be on the field early in camp, he’s trending in the right direction to be ready for the Falcons.
The Eagles can remove Graham from the active/PUP list during camp at any point when they feel he’s ready to practice.
Hopefully they’ll follow up the news that he’s healthy with a contract extension to keep their Super Bowl hero in Philly.