Brandon Graham: Howie Roseman addressed the Eagles’ issues that were behind last season’s collapse

Equipped with the benefit of hindsight, Brandon Graham has noticed a key difference between this year’s Eagles team compared to last.

Speaking before the team’s second practice of a three-day minicamp on Wednesday, the veteran defensive lineman said the overhaul to the coaching staff earlier this offseason has resulted in a marked change this spring while offering a window into what may have contributed to the Eagles’ collapse to finish out the 2023 season.

“We didn’t have all the right coaches in the right positions,” Graham said while discussing the progress Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter have made this offseason. “You can just see the guys just truly believing in what we’ve got going on.”

While the Eagles made significant changes on each side of the ball following last year’s 1-6 finish, the majority of the turnover came on the defensive staff. Defensive end/outside linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn was the lone position coach on that side of the ball to retain his previously held role as new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio rebuilt the staff assembled under Sean Desai last offseason.

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Graham said the result has been a more communicative group, something that the 36-year-old suggested was lacking at times last year and contributed to the team’s 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Graham also noted general manager Howie Roseman was instrumental in addressing the problems that plagued the team down the stretch last year during the offseason.

“You just notice little stuff last year, certain stuff that you weren’t on the same page about,” Graham said. “Just here and there it will pop up, but it popped up in a big way the last game. If anything, I learned you just always want to make sure you have the proper communication, so there’s real big communication going on right now, in the locker room, on the field, in the classroom. I knew Howie was going to get it fixed.”

When asked how Roseman “fixed” things, Graham didn’t offer specifics. The team has been proactive not only in overhauling the coaching staff with Fangio and new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but also with the roster, signing Saquon Barkley, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Bryce Huff early in free agency and trading away edge rusher Haason Reddick. Roseman also moved up in the second round of the draft for Cooper DeJean after selecting Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, further retooling a secondary that struggled mightily last season.

“Just trying to figure out where we went wrong,” Graham said of Roseman’s offseason approach. “Just being honest, having those hard conversations and not being scared to make certain moves. When you’ve got a good team like we did and good players, sometimes it doesn’t always reflect that because of us not being on the same page sometimes. … He knew a lot of stuff, we all knew, we saw it. I knew he wanted to get it right.”

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Even though Graham’s expecting this to be his last year before retirement, he still figures to have a meaningful role both on and off the field. The defensive line will need to compensate for Fletcher Cox’s departure after Graham’s longtime running mate retired earlier this offseason, leaving a void of both leadership and on-field production after leading last year’s defensive tackle group in snaps played.

Cox attended Wednesday’s practice as a spectator, but Graham’s mentorship role for Carter and Davis, both former first-round picks expected to take on expanded roles, will become even more significant without Cox there every day.

“You just have to bring up the younger guys, like J.C. and J.D., they’re doing a good job,” Graham said. “I see [Davis’s] dedication, I see what he’s doing. And J.C. is coming along even more from his first year to second year. I’m excited for the future for them, because those boys are feeding off each other, and they’re pushing each other.”