The Eagles milestone Kelce, Cox, Graham can accomplish this season
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Jason Kelce, Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox are all back on the Eagles on one-year contracts with one goal: winning another Super Bowl.
The squad fell just short last season, losing to the Chiefs, 38-35, in Super Bowl LVII. But the team has moved on from that heartbreak.
As the Eagles turn the page on 2022, the trio of Graham, Kelce and Cox each have the chance to accomplish the same franchise milestone in 2023. Before you guess, it's not winning another Super Bowl.
If Graham, Kelce and Cox remain healthy for the 2023 season, they'll each rank in the top three for the most regular season games played as an Eagle in franchise history -- in that order.
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Entering 2023, former longtime kicker David Akers ranks first for most games played in franchise history with 188.
Graham has 178, Kelce has 176 and Cox has 173, so if the trio stays healthy, they'll be able to top other franchise greats like Akers and Hall of Famers Brian Dawkins and Harold Carmichael – the latter rank second and third all-time.
Graham, Kelce and Cox – along with Lane Johnson – have been staples of the organization for the past decade and helped the Eagles win their first Super Bowl.
Johnson, who has played 127 regular season games in his Eagles career, would be higher up on the all-time list if not for injuries and multiple suspensions due to PEDs.
"Obviously really proud of the way our careers have gone here and the way we play together and the way we kind of fought through adversity throughout our tenures," Kelce said, "so we're definitely happy that all of us are returning."
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In this era of rapid player movement across all sports leagues, it's a rarity the trio has been with the team for more than a decade, especially with the way some seasons unfolded.
All three have played under multiple head coaches. It's not like one head coach has maintained power throughout their time in Philly. This isn't a Bill Belichick-Tom Brady situation.
Kelce, Cox and Graham are each on their fourth head coach. They played for Andy Reid during the end of his tenure. They fought through adversity through the rise and fall of Chip Kelly. They were all a part of the most famous Eagles team ever and won the Super Bowl under Doug Pederson. And nearly did it again with the fourth guy in current head coach Nick Sirianni.
But, just like last year, this year could be the final run for the trio.
Kelce, who has been mulling retirement over the past few years, and Graham are each 35 and Cox is 32. All three have potential young replacements on the roster via the NFL draft.
Cam Jurgens is set to be the heir apparent to Kelce at center. It appears he'll play alongside Kelce this season at right guard.
Then there's Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis set to be the long-term solution at defensive tackle in place of Cox.
Don't forget about the other Bulldog: Edge rusher Nolan Smith is in line to replace Graham down the road, and the 14-year NFL vet understands how important it is to show the younger guys the ropes.
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"I'm just trying to help them young guys man as much as I can, just trying to enjoy being on a good team, man, because at the end of the day, I'm in year 14 still feeling good, but I just want to serve this year, man," Graham said. "I want to serve them boys, get those boys to the next level, keep this thing going."
That, beyond their talent on the football field, is one of the many reasons why the Eagles have had the success they've had over the past decade.
Sirianni wasn't surprised to hear Graham's comments.
"It's special," Sirianni said. "It's a special group of guys, and that's what we want. We want guys to connect. When you're truly in it to have the relationships and you're truly in it to get better as a team, understanding that the best teams win, not the best groups of individuals, that makes for a special team, and that's why we have special leaders on this team."
