Jimmy Graham - Aging tight end still on Bears roster

A few weeks back the Bears released cornerback Kyle Fuller, much to the benefit of the Denver Broncos, who immediately signed him. Chicago needed the cap room, so they didn't have much choice in the matter. But it's harder to explain why they still have Jimmy Graham on their roster.

Graham carries a $10 million cap hit for 2021, and the team would save $7 million by releasing him. They drafted Cole Kmet in the second round a year ago, and he should be ready to do more in his second season.

But Graham is still on the roster. He's 34 years old, and while he's played every game the last four seasons, he hasn't made much of an impact. Seattle and Green Bay have moved on readily from him in that time period. Chicago hasn't.

In each of those four years, Graham has caught at least 35 passes. There have been 93 such 35-catch seasons by a tight end in that time frame. In each of those years, Graham averaged just 2-3 receptions per game; once he made it up 3.6, which rounds up to 4. But a pretty minimal impact compared to all the other tight ends who were part of the passing game in those years. Graham slots down with mostly backups or in offenses that didn't throw much to the tight end. This a player who in his first four years as a starter averaged 5-6 receptions per game each season, which ranked up with the league’s top tight ends.

TIGHT ENDS, RECEPTIONS PER GAME, 2017-2020 (35+ CATCHES)
Year	Player	G	Tgt	Rec	Yds	TD	Rec/G
2018	Zach Ertz, Phil.	16	156	116	1163	8	7.3
2020	Travis Kelce, K.C.	15	145	105	1416	11	7.0
2020	Darren Waller, L.V.	16	145	107	1196	9	6.7
2018	Travis Kelce, K.C.	16	150	103	1336	10	6.4
2019	George Kittle, S.F.	14	107	85	1053	5	6.1
2019	Travis Kelce, K.C.	16	136	97	1229	5	6.1
2020	George Kittle, S.F.	8	63	48	634	2	6.0
2019	Zach Ertz, Phil.	15	135	88	916	6	5.9
2019	Austin Hooper, Atl.	13	97	75	787	6	5.8
2019	Darren Waller, Oak.	16	117	90	1145	3	5.6
2017	Travis Kelce, K.C.	15	122	83	1038	8	5.5
2018	George Kittle, S.F.	16	136	88	1377	5	5.5
2019	Evan Engram, NYG	8	68	44	467	3	5.5
2017	Jack Doyle, Ind.	15	108	80	690	4	5.3
2017	Zach Ertz, Phil.	14	110	74	824	8	5.3
2017	Rob Gronkowski, N.E.	14	105	69	1084	8	4.9
2017	Delanie Walker, Ten.	16	111	74	807	3	4.6
2019	Tyler Higbee, LAR	15	89	69	734	3	4.6
2019	Hunter Henry, LAC	12	76	55	652	5	4.6
2020	Logan Thomas, Was.	16	110	72	670	6	4.5
2018	Austin Hooper, Atl.	16	88	71	660	4	4.4
2020	Hunter Henry, LAC	14	93	60	613	4	4.3
2019	Mark Andrews, Balt.	15	98	64	852	10	4.3
2017	Evan Engram, NYG	15	115	64	722	6	4.3
2018	Jared Cook, Oak.	16	101	68	896	6	4.3
2020	T.J. Hockenson, Det.	16	101	67	723	6	4.2
2020	Dallas Goedert, Phil.	11	65	46	524	3	4.2
2018	Jordan Reed, Was.	13	84	54	558	2	4.2
2020	Mark Andrews, Balt.	14	88	58	701	7	4.1
2020	Noah Fant, Den.	15	93	62	673	3	4.1
2018	Eric Ebron, Ind.	16	110	66	750	13	4.1
2018	Evan Engram, NYG	11	64	45	577	3	4.1
2018	Kyle Rudolph, Min.	16	82	64	634	4	4.0
2020	Dalton Schultz, Dall.	16	89	63	615	4	3.9
2020	Evan Engram, NYG	16	109	63	654	1	3.9
2019	Jason Witten, Dall.	16	83	63	529	4	3.9
2017	Jason Witten, Dall.	16	87	63	560	5	3.9
2019	Dallas Goedert, Phil.	15	87	58	607	5	3.9
2017	Austin Seferian-Jenkins, NYJ	13	74	50	357	3	3.8
2017	Benjamin Watson, Balt.	16	79	61	522	4	3.8
2017	Charles Clay, Buff.	13	74	49	558	2	3.8
2020	Eric Ebron, Pitt.	15	91	56	558	5	3.7
2019	Jacob Hollister, Sea.	11	59	41	349	3	3.7
2019	Greg Olsen, Car.	14	82	52	597	2	3.7
2018	Rob Gronkowski, N.E.	13	72	47	682	3	3.6
2017	Jimmy Graham, Sea.	16	96	57	520	10	3.6
2017	Kyle Rudolph, Min.	16	81	57	532	8	3.6
2020	Austin Hooper, Cle.	13	70	46	435	4	3.5
2020	Mike Gesicki, Mia.	15	85	53	703	6	3.5
2020	Hayden Hurst, Atl.	16	88	56	571	6	3.5
2018	David Njoku, Cle.	16	88	56	639	4	3.5
2018	Jimmy Graham, G.B.	16	89	55	636	2	3.4
2018	Trey Burton, Chi.	16	76	54	569	6	3.4
2017	Jared Cook, Oak.	16	86	54	688	2	3.4
2018	Vance McDonald, Pitt.	15	72	50	610	4	3.3
2017	Eric Ebron, Det.	16	86	53	574	4	3.3
2020	Zach Ertz, Phil.	11	72	36	335	1	3.3
2020	Robert Tonyan, G.B.	16	59	52	586	11	3.3
2017	Hunter Henry, LAC	14	62	45	579	4	3.2
2019	Mike Gesicki, Mia.	16	89	51	570	5	3.2
2020	Jimmy Graham, Chi.	16	76	50	456	8	3.1
2019	Jared Cook, N.O.	14	65	43	705	9	3.1
2017	Austin Hooper, Atl.	16	65	49	526	3	3.1
2017	Cameron Brate, T.B.	16	77	48	591	6	3.0
2020	Tyler Higbee, LAR	15	60	44	521	5	2.9
2017	Julius Thomas, Mia.	14	62	41	388	3	2.9
2017	George Kittle, S.F.	15	63	43	515	2	2.9
2020	Jordan Akins, Hou.	13	49	37	403	1	2.8
2019	Gerald Everett, LAR	13	60	37	408	2	2.8
2020	Rob Gronkowski, T.B.	16	77	45	623	7	2.8
2020	Jonnu Smith, Ten.	15	65	41	448	8	2.7
2019	Vance McDonald, Pitt.	14	55	38	273	3	2.7
2019	Jack Doyle, Ind.	16	72	43	448	4	2.7
2019	Tyler Eifert, Cin.	16	63	43	436	3	2.7
2018	C.J. Uzomah, Cin.	16	64	43	439	3	2.7
2017	Vernon Davis, Was.	16	69	43	648	3	2.7
2017	Jesse James, Pitt.	16	63	43	372	3	2.7
2017	Tyler Kroft, Cin.	16	62	42	404	7	2.6
2020	Gerald Everett, LAR	16	62	41	417	1	2.6
2020	Drew Sample, Cin.	16	53	40	349	1	2.5
2019	Noah Fant, Den.	16	66	40	562	3	2.5
2020	Jared Cook, N.O.	15	60	37	504	7	2.5
2020	Anthony Firkser, Ten.	16	53	39	387	1	2.4
2019	Kyle Rudolph, Min.	16	48	39	367	6	2.4
2018	Chris Herndon, NYJ	16	56	39	502	4	2.4
2020	Tyler Eifert, Jac.	15	60	36	349	2	2.4
2019	Jimmy Graham, G.B.	16	60	38	447	3	2.4
2019	Cameron Brate, T.B.	16	55	36	311	4	2.3
2019	Jordan Akins, Hou.	16	55	36	418	2	2.3
2019	Irv Smith, Min.	16	47	36	311	2	2.3
2018	Ian Thomas, Car.	16	49	36	333	2	2.3
2019	Jonnu Smith, Ten.	16	44	35	439	3	2.2
2018	Benjamin Watson, N.O.	16	46	35	400	2	2.2

Merely showing up counts for something. Graham has been healthy and available, which is nice. But he hasn't been an impact player; definitely isn't worth what the Bears are paying him. Hard to figure why Ryan Pace hasn't moved on yet.

--Andy Richardson

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Today's Trivia

Trent Sherfield has signed with the Vikings, giving him the opportunity to potentially catch a pass for a fifth different team in five years. He spent the last four seasons with Arizona, San Francisco, Miami and Buffalo. That would be impressive, but there is an active player with an even longer streak. What active player has caught at least one pass for a new team six years in a row?

View Answer

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