Brandon Graham, Mr. 200, helps spark an Eagles defense that needed one in a win over the Browns

Jalen Carter follows a simple rule when it comes to Brandon Graham.

“I know if he’s talking, it’s time to work,” Carter said.

So there was Graham before kickoff Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, being his talkative self, exchanging pleasantries with some Cleveland Browns players as they headed off the field and into the tunnel, back to their locker room after warmups. The Eagles were playing their first game in 14 days, in front of their home crowd for the first time in 27. Their defense, which Graham is the unquestioned leader of, was coming off its worst performance of the young 2024 season during a 33-16 loss in Tampa.

As Carter can always tell by the sound of Graham’s voice, it was time to work, and Graham’s words, whatever they were, proved to be a warning shot. While the Eagles offense was far from perfect, its defense didn’t surrender a touchdown during a 20-16 win. The Eagles allowed 244 yards, and just 144 of them came through the air. They sacked Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson five times, nearly matching their previous season total of six. Cleveland’s offense scored just nine points.

Graham wasn’t one of seven Eagles credited for at least a partial sack, but he did make his mark during his 200th game as an Eagle, the most in franchise history.

The Browns had tied the score at 10-10 after the Eagles ended the first half in disastrous fashion. They then moved the ball to the Eagles’ 32-yard line out of halftime and had a second-and-4. D’Onta Foreman carried the ball for a 3-yard gain and was stopped by Graham and Reed Blankenship, setting up a crucial third-and-1. The Browns then handed it off to wide receiver Cedric Tillman, and Graham wasn’t fooled. He got into the backfield and crunched Tillman for a 5-yard loss. The play was pivotal, as Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins missed the ensuing 52-yard field goal attempt.

This was supposed to be Graham’s farewell tour, but it’s proving to maybe be something different. He’s playing more than he thought he would. He’s producing more than the Eagles probably thought he would. And at age 36, as the gray in his beard keeps multiplying, Graham has been a steady force on a defense that has needed stabilizing.

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“It’s cool that they still believe in me at this point,” said Graham, who had five combined tackles on the day. Graham not only has the most games played (200) as a member of the Eagles, but also leads the team in seasons played (15). He became on Sunday the sixth active NFL defensive player to reach the 200-game mark.

“I was calling myself the knockout punch at the end,” Graham said. “You’re sitting around, waiting. You’re encouraging, but you ain’t playing too much. But then you come in when you need it and you go make a play. I was just happy to be of service to the team and help during a key moment in the game and just doing my job.”

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Coaching gets a mixed review, but the defense held up in a win against the Browns

Carter said Graham, whose locker at the NovaCare Complex is just two stalls down from his, has been a sounding board since he was drafted last season.

“He’s my captain,” Carter said. “He’s my leader and I look up to him a lot.” Carter said the Eagles, the defense especially, used the bye week to clear their heads. He said there was a different feeling in the locker room during the week and in practice. “You see the guys, how they act and prepare for the game, how they warm up outside before the game. You could just see the difference,” he said.

The Eagles are obviously hopeful that the defensive performance Sunday will be a sign of things to come. But tougher times are ahead. The Browns, with Watson at quarterback, have one of the NFL’s worst offenses. And an already banged-up offensive line was on its third center early in the game.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Coaching gets a mixed review, but the defense held up in a win against the Browns

The locals were rightfully restless at times Sunday. The Eagles made what should have been an easy game far from it. But Graham said he never saw the defense waver.

“What are we talking about on the sideline when things go wrong? How are we encouraging each other? Sometimes it’s hard as a leader because I know I don’t know everything, but I know it’s how you handle stuff,” Graham said.

“It wasn’t as pretty as some people might’ve thought it should be, but that’s the league for you. At the end of the day, we kept them out of the end zone. ... We’ve got some things to clean up, but don’t we all?”

Graham’s voice has helped edge rusher Bryce Huff “block out the noise,” Huff said. The Eagles this offseason signed Huff to a $51.1 million deal, but he entered Sunday with no sacks and only a few quarterback pressures. It’s a feeling Graham sort of identifies with, having gone from a player people considered a first-round bust to the one whose strip sack won the Eagles a Super Bowl.

“He’s a great leader,” said Huff, who was credited for a half-sack Sunday. “Every day he shows up and he’s the same guy. He’s not really shaken by any negativity on the field.”

So what did Sunday mean to Graham? Round numbers are nice, especially when wrapped in victory. But Carter said Graham told his teammates after the game that he wanted to come back years from now and see some of them reaching the same milestone he reached Sunday. He took a photo with the rest of the defensive line group after the game Sunday and then spent some time with family and friends on the field.

“I gotta give it to the ones before me, the ones that helped me during dark times,” Graham said. “I didn’t think I would be here at 200, especially how it started. But like I told the guys, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”