Graham earns first Pro Bowl honors
Brandon Graham is finally getting his due.
The longest-tenured Eagles and team captain was voted to his first Pro Bowl, the team announced Monday night.
Joining Graham at this year’s all-virtual Pro Bowl event are defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and center Jason Kelce.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Pro Bowl game is canceled this season. Instead, players will participate in livestreamed Madden tournaments against celebrities.
An 11-year veteran, Graham has spent his entire career with the Eagles, overcoming the draft bust label to become one of the top defensive ends in franchise history. His strip sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII is Graham’s defining moment in the NFL.
Graham has a team-high seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss in 2020. He was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2016, when he led the league in combined sacks, hurries, and quarterback knockdowns.
“I got a real level of appreciation for making it because I know it’s not easy,” Graham told the Eagles website. “You know, being an alternate is cool, but you have to hope that people back out. For this one to be outright, in a year where there’s no alternates because there’s no game because of COVID, to get that call, I really appreciate this. We worked our butts off this whole offseason and during the season. To get that call is going to boost me even more for the next two games to try to go make it happen and get into these playoffs.”
Cox is a Pro Bowler for the sixth consecutive year. He has 6.5 tackles and nine tackles for loss this year. Meanwhile, Kelce set the team record for most Pro Bowl selections by a center with four.
Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was elated for Graham, saying he got “choked up” when he heard the news.
“There were some tears shed in the coaching staff rooms last night,” Schwartz said Tuesday. “Just a totally deserving guy. 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 sort of choked everyone up.”