The Saints are bringing back Jimmy Graham on a one-year contract. Say what? Didn’t he retire?
Graham, as a refresher, turns 37 in November. He wasn’t in the league last year. He was underwhelming in his three previous seasons, with the Packers and Bears. He was lightly used in the second half of the 2021, with Chicago making more of an effort to transition to Cole Kmet.
Graham’s last play as a pro, oddly enough, was a 19-yard touchdown in the Superdome on the final play of a playoff loss in January, 2022 (when he was playing with the Bears).
But the Saints are bringing him back. In his heyday, he caught 85-plus passes four years in a row (in the 2011-14 seasons), with 46 touchdowns.
Nowadays, he’s joining a team with arguably the most eclectic collection of tight ends in league history. They’ve got Juwan Johnson, a converted wide receiver who led the team with 7 TD catches last year. They’ve got Taysom Hill, who doesn’t actually play tight end but is listed as one on the roster; he scored 9 TDs last year. They’ve added Foster Moreau, who played his college ball in the area and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma while making a free agent visit with the team. He’s healthy now and is their best traditional in-line tight end.
If Graham makes the team (and he probably will) I would think he’ll catch a few touchdowns around the goal line. That’s always been the strongest part of his game. He’s 6-foot-7, with a rebounding background from his college basketball days.
But Graham in 2023 isn’t the same guy he was 10 years ago. In the last five years, there have been 15 tight ends who’ve seen at least 25 targets inside the 10-yard line. Most of those guys have been more effective than Graham.
I don’t see Graham as a player who should be drafted (even in TD-only leagues). But with this signing, I’ll move Juwan Johnson down a little on my board.
| RECEIVING INSIDE THE 10 (last 5 yrs) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Com | TD | 2Pt | EZ Pct |
| T.J. Hockenson, Det.-Min. | 29 | 17 | 12 | 4 | 55.2% |
| Mark Andrews, Balt. | 40 | 25 | 19 | 3 | 55.0% |
| Zach Ertz, Phi.-Ari. | 44 | 28 | 18 | 4 | 50.0% |
| Austin Hooper, 3 tms | 38 | 25 | 16 | 3 | 50.0% |
| Hunter Henry, LAC-N.E. | 27 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 48.1% |
| Tyler Higbee, LAR | 35 | 23 | 15 | 1 | 45.7% |
| Travis Kelce, K.C. | 68 | 42 | 28 | 2 | 44.1% |
| Dawson Knox, Buff. | 25 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 44.0% |
| Kyle Rudolph, 3 tms | 25 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 44.0% |
| Jared Cook, 3 tms | 28 | 18 | 10 | 2 | 42.9% |
| Jimmy Graham, 3 tms | 28 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 39.3% |
| Gerald Everett, 3 tms | 28 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 39.3% |
| Darren Waller, L.V. | 31 | 17 | 11 | 1 | 38.7% |
| George Kittle, S.F. | 32 | 17 | 11 | 1 | 37.5% |
| Mike Gesicki, Mia. | 30 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 33.3% |
—Ian Allan