Jimmy Graham is going to be a free agent, and I don’t expect the Seahawks will make much of an effort to re-sign him. They’ve got a lot of other, more pressing needs, and Graham fell short of what they were hoping for when they made the big trade with the Saints a few years back.
But when you take Graham out of Seattle’s offense, that’s a big change. No receiver in the league last year was more heavily used around the goal line.
Graham was the intended target on 16 passes last year when the Seahawks were inside the 5. That’s 7 more than anyone else in the league. Only two players (Rob Gronkowski and Michael Crabtree) had even half as many targets in that part of the field.
Russell Wilson attempted 25 passes inside the 5, and he went to Graham on about two thirds of those throws.
So big changes coming in Seattle. I don’t expect, however, that they’re simply now looking for a new big body to plug into that role. Instead, they’re re-working their offense. They fired Darrell Bevell last month, recall, and they’ve got Brian Schottenheimer coming in now to serve as their coordinator.
Where Graham winds up, I have no idea. I wonder if the Saints would be interested in bringing him back? The Patriots love utilizing tight ends; with Gronkowski maybe mulling retirement, I wonder if they would have interest. Graham played his college ball at Miami, and the Dolphins don't have a pass-catching tight end.
| PLAYERS WITH 5 TARGETS INSIDE THE 5-YARD LINE | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Att | Comp | TD-2pt | EZ% |
| TE Jimmy Graham, Sea. | 16 | 8 | 7-1 | 50% |
| TE Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | 9 | 4 | 3-1 | 44% |
| WR Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 9 | 7 | 5-2 | 78% |
| WR DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 7 | 4 | 4 | 57% |
| WR Keenan Allen, LAC | 7 | 3 | 2 | 29% |
| WR Alshon Jeffery, Phil. | 7 | 6 | 3-3 | 86% |
| TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ | 6 | 3 | 2 | 33% |
| WR Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 6 | 6 | 5 | 83% |
| WR Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 6 | 4 | 3 | 50% |
| WR Marvin Jones, Det. | 6 | 1 | 1 | 17% |
| WR Michael Thomas, N.O. | 6 | 5 | 4 | 67% |
| TE Tyler Kroft, Cin. | 6 | 5 | 5 | 83% |
| TE Zach Ertz, Phil. | 6 | 5 | 4 | 67% |
| WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 6 | 3 | 2-1 | 50% |
| WR Marqise Lee, Jac. | 6 | 3 | 2-1 | 50% |
| WR Mike Evans, T.B. | 6 | 1 | 0-1 | 17% |
| WR Adam Thielen, Minn. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| WR Amari Cooper, Oak. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| WR Chris Hogan, N.E. | 5 | 2 | 2 | 40% |
| TE David Njoku, Cle. | 5 | 1 | 1 | 20% |
| TE Delanie Walker, Tenn. | 5 | 2 | 2 | 40% |
| WR Dez Bryant, Dall. | 5 | 2 | 2 | 40% |
| WR Jamison Crowder, Wash. | 5 | 2 | 1 | 20% |
| WR Julio Jones, Atl. | 5 | 1 | 1 | 20% |
| WR Terrance Williams, Dall. | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| WR Brandin Cooks, N.E. | 5 | 4 | 3-1 | 80% |
| TE Marcedes Lewis, Jac. | 5 | 3 | 2-1 | 60% |
—Ian Allan