Derrick Burgess is back in Philadelphia. The 32-year-old, drafted by the Eagles in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft, played three seasons with the team before signing with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent after the Eagles' Super Bowl run in 2004.

Burgess replaces Brandon Graham on the 53-man roster, as the rookie first-rounder was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL. Graham notched 3.0 sacks in his first year before suffering the knee injury in last week's 30-27 win over the Dallas Cowboys. While Juqua Parker will continue to start at left defensive end, as far as a situational pass rusher goes, Burgess, 6-2, 255, should be a solid replacement for the production provided by Graham, 6-2, 268.

Burgess' career with the Eagles included two seasons almost entirely lost to injury, when he suffered a foot injury in the 2002 season opener and was lost for the entirety of the 2003 season when he tore his Achilles tendon in the preseason. However, Burgess was a pivotal player in the 2004 Super Bowl run, especially when he was charged with stopping Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in the NFC Championship and sacked the elusive signal-caller twice. Now, of course, the two are teammates.

The veteran's career blossomed in Oakland, where he led the league with 16.0 sacks in 2005 and was named to two Pro Bowls. The proven pass rusher spent the 2009 season with the New England Patriots, starting all 12 games he played. He was released by the Patriots during the final roster cutdown in September.

-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 3:00 p.m., December 14