Eagles Bring in Veteran DB Corey Graham

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - With evidence mounting that the Eagles need help in the secondary, the team announced Thursday that they are bringing in a veteran defensive back who has a history with Jim Schwartz.

Corey Graham, a 32-year-old 11-year veteran, was signed to a one-year deal. A 6-foot New Hampshire product, Graham originally came into the league as a cornerback before making the shift to safety in recent seasons.

Graham has had stints in Chicago, Baltimore, and Buffalo where he worked under Schwartz during the 2014 season. With the Ravens, he also had ties to the Eagles' current personnel chief Joe Douglas so it's clear there are people in the organization comfortable with the versatile defender.

Last season Graham remained productive for the Bills at safety, amassing 87 tackles with 1 sack and an interception. Over his 10-year career, he has 612 tackles, 3 sacks, 15 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and a 2011 Pro Bowl appearance.

The questions are what does Graham have left physically and where does he fit in?

On paper, the Eagles need help at cornerback more than safety.  Philadelphia did call the veteran a safety when announcing the move but it would hardly be out of the line to assume Graham will be asked to take on some sort of hybrid role when he gets into the swing of things.

Schwartz has continually praised his starters on the back end, Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod, while Terrence Brooks has impressed in camp although he was in the defensive coordinator's doghouse a bit Thursday after a late hit on RB Corey Clement.

Cornerback, on the other hand, has been a mess for Philadelphia through 10 days of camp outside of Jalen Mills. Both Patrick Robinson and Rasul Douglas have struggled mightily and C.J. Smith doesn't look ready for an expanded role. Meanwhile, Ron Brooks and Aaron Grymes are more suited for slot work only.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen