Eagles sign veteran safety Corey Graham, a 2011 Pro Bowler on special teams
Corey Graham was a starter in Buffalo the past two seasons. He will provide depth for the Eagles.
The Eagles signed veteran safety Corey Graham to a one-year deal Thursday, giving them depth in the secondary and a potential special-teams contributor who earned a Pro Bowl invitation in 2011.
Graham, 32, is entering his 11th NFL season. He started every game the past two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, and has also played for the Baltimore Ravens and Chicago Bears. Graham has 64 career starts, 612 career tackles, and 15 career interceptions. His 157 consecutive games played trail only Pittsburgh's William Gay among defensive backs.
Graham, who is listed at 6-feet and 196 pounds, started at cornerback for the Ravens when they won Super Bowl XLVII in February of 2013. His time in Baltimore overlapped with Joe Douglas, the Eagles vice president of player personnel. Graham also started nine games for the Buffalo Bills in 2014 when Jim Schwartz was the defensive coordinator, so he has even more connections to the Eagles staff.
Graham cut his teeth in the NFL as a special-teams standout. He made the Pro Bowl for his special-teams ability.
The Eagles are set at safety with Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, but Graham provides valuable depth and could also contribute on special teams. He also has cornerback experience, and that's a need for the Eagles. If he can still play cornerback – his first eight seasons were spent at the position – he might get more playing time.
Seumalo “rising to the challenge”
After a week of practices with the veterans, the Eagles are pleased with Isaac Seumalo at left guard. Seumalo is the only new starter on the offensive line. The second-year pro is replacing Allen Barbre between Jason Peters and Jason Kelce.
"He's rising to the challenge, going against [Tim] Jernigan every day," offensive coordinator Frank Reich said. "I see Isaac getting better. He's going up against a very formidable foe every day in practice. I think he's done a good job and gotten better."
The Eagles have kept Seumalo with the starters each day, showing that there's little competition at the position at this point.
Kendricks injured
Linebacker Mychal Kendricks missed practice with a quadriceps injury. Kendricks, who demanded a trade during the offseason, sat for the first time this summer. A hamstring injury sidelined him during the spring. Rookie Nate Gerry took first-team snaps in his place.
Running back LeGarrette Blount missed his third consecutive practice for a personal reason. Rookie running back Donnel Pumphrey has also been out with a hamstring injury.
Defensive tackle Elijah Qualls (groin) and defensive end Alex McCalister (hamstring) returned to the field after missing time this week.