Brandon Graham Done For The Year, Brandon Brooks Likely to IR
Nick Sirianni addressed the media this afternoon and confirmed the worst for Brandon Graham. We all knew it wouldn’t be good news when he was carted off the field during the Eagles loss Sunday and we pretty much steeled ourselves for the inevitable when he tweeted out the news that’d he be back in 2022.
But it’s still tough to hear Sirianni confirm our fears that Graham will miss the remainder of the season with a torn Achilles.
It’s a brutal blow for the defense and severely hampers the Eagles defensive line, one of the few clear-cut strengths for the team this year. The Eagles rotate their defensive ends quite a bit through each game, but this just puts more pressure on Derek “Mr. Personal Foul” Barnett to perform at a high level for the rest of the year. Gonna need a lot less boneheaded tackles and a lot more sacks out of you the rest of the way, Derek.
Good news from #Eagles coach Nick Sirianni: G Brandon Brooks has a pec strain, not a full tear. That means he’s out several weeks and headed to IR… but it’s not season-ending.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2021
The only “goodish” injury news out of his press conference was that Brandon Brooks suffered a pectoral strain, not a tear, and will only have to be placed on the IR (if at all). It was feared Brooks had suffered a fully torn pec, which would have forced the snake-bit offensive lineman to miss the remainder of the year.
A player placed on the IR can return to the team after missing a minimum of three games.
Suddenly, the ability of second-round pick Landon Dickerson to perform at a high level and stay on the field becomes paramount to the team’s success. Dickerson was thrust into a tough spot yesterday and didn’t particularly seem over his head playing at the right guard position. It’ll be a good test for the rookie and give the Eagles an idea of just how talented the young offensive lineman really is.
Sirianni did not commit to either Dickerson or Nate Herbig as Brooks’s replacement for Monday night’s primetime matchup, but you have to expect it will be Dickerson.