The Eagles chess match that has been going on for a decade
The Eagles chess match that has been going on for a decade originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Lane Johnson isn’t sure how many times he’s faced off with Brandon Graham in practice over the last decade.
He just knows it’s a lot.
“Obviously, it’s been thousands,” Johnson said. “I’m not sure how many thousands.”
Graham and Johnson are entering their 11th season together as Eagles teammates in 2023. Throughout those years, they have faced off against each other countless times in team drills and 1-on-1s.
All that work has helped both achieve great things in the NFL.
“It’s a chess game that me and Lane have played over the years,” Graham said. “And I think he has helped me so much because a lot of guys are not like him.”
Graham was a first-round pick in 2010 and Johnson was a first-round pick in 2013. The two of them, along with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox, form a group that has been together in Philadelphia for over a decade. That in itself is extremely rare.
But to have two teammates like Graham and Johnson battle against each other on the edge for so many years is just as special. Even though they know each other’s tricks at this point, it’s still a great battle, even in 2023.
“He frustrates you a lot because you think you know and the next thing you know he’ll switch it up on you,” Graham said. “That’s what I can respect with Lane. With me, it try to do what I’m [better] at and I try to set him up with a [bullrush] and I set my second move off how he handled my bull. Sometimes I stick with my bull and sometimes I go with an outside swipe because I know he gotta put his hands on me because sometimes he doesn’t give me his hands.”
Johnson is a Pro Bowl, All-Pro right tackle and one of the very best at his position. He could one day end up in the Hall of Fame.
But Graham is no slouch either. He had a double digit sack season last year at the age of 34 and coming off an Achilles injury that cost him most of 2021.
“If you can handle a bullrush from BG, 9 out of 10 times you can handle a bullrush from most guys in the league,” Johnson explained. “I credit him for developing my game because initially when I came into the league, when he got moved to end, he’s bulled me back a lot. Obviously, had to get my technique right, had to get my hand usage right and had to get physically stronger because he was a guy that constantly demanded a guy to equal his. It has been a tough matchup for all these years.”
Johnson hasn’t given up a sack in a game since the 2020 season and during the last few years he’s finally been getting the recognition as one of the best in the game. Graham believes that recognition was long overdue.
“Lane has been the best,” Graham said. “He’s finally getting his just due now these last four or five years. But, man, Lane has been somebody who is athletic, a guy that always switches up his set. You don’t know what you’re going to get sometimes with him. He’s very crafty.”
The admiration goes both ways.
Johnson has affectionately referred to Graham as bleeping bowling ball throughout the years. Not only that, but Graham is a high-effort guy. He doesn’t take plays off in practice. He didn’t 14 years ago and he’s won’t now either.
“What makes him so special is how low to the ground he is,” Johnson said. “He’s listed as 6-1, but I think he might be 5-10. And he’s listed at 285 (pounds) but he might be 305. He’s one of those guys, man, that if he gets under you when he bullrushes you, he’s going to lift you up.
“Going against a guy like that during training camp teaches me to play at a lower pad level. Because any slight mistake or any mishap of your hand, he’s going to bull you back or do his hand swipe off of it. Going against him every year, it definitely has helped me, helped my game, no question.”
After all these battles, Johnson said he doesn’t really get surprised by anything Graham does. But after a layoff, like the one between OTAs and training camp, he quickly gets a reminder of how Graham likes to play when camp starts back up. Then he begins to recognize some of the signature moves he’s been trying to stop for over 10 years.
It’s not just on-field work. Johnson and Graham talk about it too. If Johnson wins a rep, Graham wants to know why. If Graham gets the best of him, Johnson wants to understand what Graham saw and why he tried that particular move.
This relationship isn’t all that dissimilar from the one some of the receivers and defensive backs have. The only difference is how long this one has been going on.
“We got a lot of smart guys on our team,” Graham said, “and I’m happy that we all share our information because we’re all trying to help each other.”
It’s hard to imagine any two players have helped each other as much as Graham and Johnson over the years.
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