When the Eagles won their first Super Bowl (LII) in 2017, DE Brandon Graham was on top of the world. He helped lead them back to Super Bowl LVII, though they lost to the Chiefs in 2022. Two years later, Graham was part of the squad that got their revenge in 2024, pinning the Chiefs in New Orleans at Super Bowl LIX. But everything changed when he retired. Now, the Eagles are searching for his replacement—it’s their top priority.

With the draft in Green Bay just two weeks away, the Eagles are looking for that X-factor who can replicate the success Graham brought to the defense. In pursuit of that, they recently met with Texas DE Nic Scourton. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the 6-foot-3, 257-pound athlete was in Philadelphia on Thursday and is expected to spend the next day with the franchise as well. Overall, the Eagles are eyeing him as a potential successor to Brandon Graham.

They’re not the only team showing interest. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, April 8, the Browns also hosted Scourton during their official top-30 visits—reserved for prospects they expect to be among the best available in the draft. In three years of college football, Nic Scourton has logged 17 sacks, 5 passes defended, 3 forced fumbles, and 109 tackles (75 solo).

The biggest surprise of his visit to the Eagles was a surprise photo. Guess who was there? The legendary DE Brandon Graham. He is like a hero to these junior players. They will not get a chance to play with him as he retired after 15 seasons. That’s truly a legend for the Birds.

However, there might still be a possibility of a return. We have seen how GOAT Tom Brady returned and won the Super Bowl. But the injuries marred DE’s career. Will that happen again?

Brandon Graham’s legacy in the Eagles’ history

The DE has played more games (206) in the Eagles’ history than any other player. It makes him one of the greatest in their history. But almost 20 days after he announced his retirement on March 18, the fan bases are abuzz with the talks of return. They are hoping he might change his mind soon.

During his appearance on the April 10 episode of the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, he told her that he was “90 percent retired. . . . I’m 90 percent.” Everyone was surprised. There’s a 10% chance of a comeback. That’s a lot. But Brandon Graham soon explained his stance.

He then explained his mindset and added, “Training to train for a game is different, but I haven’t really changed that yet. I just want to go out there and speed it up to where I wanna look good and make sure that I’m staying fit. And while I’m still rehabbing my arm and making sure that when I do retire, I’m staying in the habit of that. Because a lot of guys tell me that when you leave, you’ve gotta make sure you stay in the habit of working out.” Who knows? He might return to the gridiron after regaining fitness.

With 206 games (106 starts) under his belt, the DE recorded 487 tackles (359 solo), 76.5 sacks, and 11 passes defended—undoubtedly making him a legend. The entire football world admires him. Retirement marks the end of a lifelong pursuit, but that’s the nature of an athlete’s journey. Who knows—maybe he’ll return in a new role or avatar.