One of the bigger named remaining free agents in the NFL may soon be finding their “new” home.
According to a source familiar with the situation, Corey Graham is expected to return to the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. There are said to be wheels in motion for a return after the conclusion of Mandatory Minicamp, that takes place next week from June 12th-14th. It is not uncommon to see a veteran player sign after Mandatory Minicamp. In 2017, Graham signed on August 3rd, well after the conclusion of offseason workouts.
Graham is coming off a season where he saw 36 percent of the teams defensive snaps. Additionally, Graham was instrumental in winning the Super Bowl as he was on the field for 84 percent of the snaps. Currently, the Eagles are lacking at safety depth. Consisting of the inexperienced Tre Sullivan, special-teams-ace Chris Maragos, and an array of rookies, Graham’s veteran experience would be a welcomed addition to Jim Schwartz’s defense. The Eagles’s defensive coordinator has made it known as of late how greatly he valued Graham in 2017.
“Corey Graham did play a significant part in being able to move Malcolm around. Corey was another guy that had played corner, played nickel, played a lot of special teams, and played safety, a little bit like Malcolm…. all of them (Jenkins, Bradham, and Graham) were able to play a lot of different positions for us and get us over the hump when it came to injuries. You’re gonna have injuries, you gotta be able to deal with them. We were fortunate enough to have multi-dimensional players that were able to keep our level of play high even though we did have those injuries.”
Schwartz offered high praise for Graham’s contributions in 2017, which seems quite unusual for a player who is currently a free agent. From the sound of it Graham would be welcomed with open arms to the No Fly Zone. As of Post-June 1st, the Eagles sit at over $4 million in cap space. Graham signed a deal worth $1.8 million in 2017. It would be expected that the veteran sign another one year deal, somewhere around last years cap number. Howie Roseman once again will look to get a value signing to add to the already loaded roster.
Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
