From nearly released to a first Pro Bowl, an appreciation of Eagles' Brandon Graham

It's no wonder Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said he and several other coaches "shed a tear" when they found out defensive end Brandon Graham was selected to the Pro Bowl Monday night.

It was Graham's first Pro Bowl selection in 11 seasons with the Eagles, who made Graham their first-round draft pick in 2010.

The first five of those seasons, Graham was constantly being derided because the Seahawks drafted safety Earl Thomas and the Giants drafted Jason Pierre-Paul right after him. Those players became stars quickly.

Graham, meanwhile, was on the verge of getting released in the summer of 2014. He had already had microfracture surgery on his knee at the end of his rookie season that cost him most of the 2011 season. Then he was stuck behind Jason Babin in 2012.

Then, Graham struggled transitioning to outside linebacker in Chip Kelly's 3-4 scheme in 2013. Graham was almost certain that he was going to be released the following summer because Kelly seemed to prefer Travis Long, an undrafted free agent who had played for Kelly at the University of Oregon and was much more comfortable as a 3-4 linebacker.

But Long tore his ACL that summer, and Graham got a reprieve. Graham made the most of it.

Then Doug Pederson became coach, Graham moved back to defensive end in the 4-3 scheme, and his career took off.

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Graham had a career-high 9.5 sacks in 2017, including the most-remembered strip sack in Eagles history against New England's Tom Brady in the final minutes of the Super Bowl.

Let's just say Graham had a different idea of how his career might turn out before Long's torn ACL.

"I would have thought maybe I'd get claimed off waivers somewhere," he said Wednesday. 

So it's no wonder that when Pederson told Graham that he had made the Pro Bowl, Graham made sure he thanked everyone who stood by him throughout his career.

"I thought about the journey," Graham said. "I wanted to call my wife and let her know, and go crazy with her, and have fun. I just thought about all the people that went through it with me. Players that have been on the field with us. The groups that I’ve been a part of, and the coaches that I’ve been a part of.

"I couldn’t ask for better people or better situations to learn from, that helped me to this day – the mindset of just don’t quit, keep going."

The feeling was mutual, both from Graham's teammates and coaches.

Graham said defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who was selected for the sixth straight season, constantly would tell Graham that he was deserving, that his time would come. But Graham also thought about former teammate Trent Cole, who was a veteran when Graham was starting out, always encouraging him.

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"T-Cole, all the time, I’d see him at a high level every day, always excited, always having fun," Graham said. "So I’d try to take the same approach because life is what you make it … As long as you got air to breathe, baby, you can get there."

Graham said even Long reached out to congratulate him, as did so many others.

Graham had been an alternate before. He admitted that he hoped someone ahead of him would back out so he could get in. It never happened.

Then this season, Graham was off to the best of his career, with 7 sacks through the first eight games. Graham hasn't had a sack in the five games since, but he's been instrumental in the defensive line's strong play throughout the season. 

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"Just a totally deserving guy," Schwartz said. "He's had a long career and he's been a very good player for a long time. But to get his first Pro Bowl nod, it sort of choked everybody up because we know what kind of guy he is.

Schwartz pointed to Graham's injuries early on and the challenges he faced, calling him an "incredibly hard worker."

"He plays with a lot of spirit, all the things that you respect about a player, Brandon Graham personifies," he said.

It's why Eagles linebacker Alex Singleton, in his second season, was incredulous when he heard about Graham's selection.

"I just assumed he had been to a ton of Pro Bowls," Singleton said. "This season, just like last season, (Graham) has balled out. To me, he’s one of the best defensive players I’ve been around ... In my mind, when I got here last year, I was like, 'This dude’s a Pro Bowler. It’s just who Brandon Graham is.'"

Graham is 32 years old, and he knows there aren't many seasons left. He said he always had a goal to play 15 seasons, and he would like them all to be with the Eagles.

But Graham also knows that nothing is guaranteed. Graham is only signed through next season, but he will count $18 million against the salary cap in 2021 on a team that's already projected to be about $70 million over the cap. 

Graham might have to restructure his contract to return.

For now, Graham is a Pro Bowl player, something that seemed so unlikely through the first five seasons of his career, when he was injured and on the verge of getting released.

"Talking to the wife, I’m like, ‘Everyone's thinking I’m old. I’m going to show them old,'" he said. "'I’m going to go out here, I gotta get in that Pro Bowl. I only got a couple years left (and) I don’t know (how much longer) I’m going to be in Philly, so I gotta put one down before I get out of here.’

"This one is very special to me."

And to everyone who knows Graham.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.