Back in December 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles won their ninth straight game by defeating the Carolina Panthers 22-16. But amidst the glory and celebration, one glaring issue stood out: a poor passing game. Right after that, Eagles wideout AJ Brown shared a few observations with the media.

For starters, Brown felt the passing game needed improvement and noted “there’s not much conversation” between him and quarterback Jalen Hurts. At the time, former Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham didn’t appreciate it and called out the WR-QB duo. Graham’s point was simple: focus on winning rather than airing concerns in front of the media. Fast forward to now, and the Eagles legend addressed the controversy once again. Only this time, he’s sharing his perspective more openly.

“You know what, man, I look at how stuff played out,” Graham said on the Real Talk With MJ Podcast. “So in that time, I just was more focused on, man, let’s not mess this up. We got such a good team, let’s not mess this up by saying little stuff to media. Like I said, just go to that man, have that talk or whatever y’all doing, and get focused because y’all don’t want to have it where y’all down the line.”

Graham’s comment came nearly a year after he initially called out Brown for speaking to the media following the Eagles’ shaky passing performance in their 22-16 win over the Panthers.

Back then, Graham had said, “The person that’s complaining needs to be accountable. I don’t know the whole story, but I know that [Hurts] is trying and [Brown] could be a little better with how he responds to things. They were friends before this, but things have changed, and I understand that because life happens. But it’s the business side, that we have to make sure the personal doesn’t get in the way of the business.”

Though Graham realized his mistake after those comments, noting, “It was a mistake and I assumed that it was something that it wasn’t,” the situation originally arose because Brown urged the Eagles to improve the passing game and noted that he hadn’t had a proper conversation with his QB.

And if we’re being honest, the passing game wasn’t exactly stellar. Jalen Hurts completed 14 of 21 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns, while Brown wasn’t targeted until late in the second quarter. The wideout finished with 4 receptions for 43 yards, contributing to an overall mediocre passing performance as the Eagles totaled just 83 passing yards.

The silver lining? The Eagles extended their winning streak to nine and held a strong 11-2 record. So when Brandon Graham said he just wanted the team to focus on winning, he was speaking the truth.

Is there a possibility of Brandon Graham’s return to the NFL?

Last season, AJ Brown observed a required improvement in the passing game. Fast forward to this season, and the Eagles are currently staring at a pass-rushing hole. The crystal? An unexpected retirement announcement from veteran Za’Darius Smith. Smith hung up his cleats after just six weeks into the 2025 season, following 11 incredible seasons.

However, right after that went down, the rumor mill started buzzing that Brandon Graham might consider a return to Philly’s roster to fill that pass-rushing gap. But if you ask the team’s defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio…Well, he’s pretty much shrugging it off, saying he has no clue if there’s any truth to it.

“Not to my knowledge,” Fangio responded when asked about Graham’s possible return. And if we’re being real, the Eagles’ legend’s return is quite difficult at this point. The reasons, however, are understandable. During the Eagles’ Super Bowl run last season, which was actually Graham’s last in the league, the DE had limited production.

Now, given that Graham’s been away from the field for a while and isn’t exactly young anymore, it’s pretty unlikely he’ll snag a spot on the roster. Instead, the Eagles are expected to turn their attention to finding reinforcements through the trade market.