Seattle trades for Jimmy Graham. Jacksonville will sign Julius Thomas. Ian Allan weighs in with his quick-hit thoughts on two of the league's elite pass-catching tight ends moving to new addresses.
The draft board for tight ends is looking a lot leaner. Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas were two of the big guns last year, but they’re both being moved to lesser passing offenses.
Thomas has caught 12 TDs in back-to-back seasons, but he’s benefitted from playing with Peyton Manning. Over the last two years, Manning has thrown 64 more touchdowns than the Jaguars, as well as averaging 98 more passing yards per game.
So my early guess is that Thomas goes from being probably the No. 3 tight end on the board to maybe not even in the top 10.
| JULIUS THOMAS SWITCH (2013-14) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Yards | TD |
| Denver | 323 | 95 |
| Jacksonville | 225 | 31 |
It’s similar with Jimmy Graham, who’s been traded to Seattle for center Max Unger and a first-round pick. The Seahawks are plenty capable, of course, but Russell Wilson isn’t a Brees-like quarterback who sits in the pocket and picks apart defenses. He’s better when he’s ad-libbing and running around, operating like a point guard. He spreading the ball around more, rather than trying to get the ball to a featured guy on a pre-determined route.
As with Jacksonville-Denver, there’s simply a big difference in production. New Orleans has thrown 25 more touchdown passes than Seattle over the last two years, as well as averaging 97 more passing yards per game.
Graham was an elite, franchise tight end this morning – the No. 1 or No. 2 player at that position. Now he’s not even certain to be a top-5 player at this position.
Having worked with Brees and now coupling with Wilson, Graham might go his entire career without catching passes from a quarterback over 6 feet tall.
| JIMMY GRAHAM SWITCH (2013-14) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Team | Yards | TD |
| New Orleans | 316 | 72 |
| Seattle | 219 | 47 |
My gut tells me the Saints will win in this trade. Graham is a talented pass catcher, but I don’t think the Seahawks will be as good at getting those results from him. And offensive lines are important. That’s been apparent in Seattle in recent years when it’s been hit with injuries. And the Saints have declined in recent years in part because their offensive line has slipped. They’ve had a chance to work with Graham in the last few years, and they’ve decided they’ll be better without him.
Seattle has tried to make big splashes with pass catchers before, with little success (Deion Branch, Nate Burleson, Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin).
Not a good day for the tight end position. Sole survivor of the elite tight ends is Rob Gronkowski (he hasn’t been traded to Cleveland or Tennessee, has he?)
—Ian Allan