Green Bay Packers 2018 roster preview: Jimmy Graham
What can we expect from new Green Bay Packers tight end Jimmy Graham in 2018?
Brian Gutekunst’s first big signing as Green Bay Packers general manager was Jimmy Graham, immediately addressing one of the team’s biggest needs.
Graham enters Green Bay with high expectations.
Let’s first take a look back at his 2017 season.
2017 stats
Last year, with the Seahawks, Graham caught 57 passes for 520 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was tied with Davante Adams for the second-most receiving touchdowns in the NFL. Only Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins had more with 13. Now Adams and Graham are on the same team.
2017 review
Graham continued to dominate in the red zone, even if his total number of yards dropped. It was Graham’s fourth season with double-digit touchdowns, and his first since 2014.
While the 31-year-old might not be as dominant as he once was in New Orleans, last season showed why he is still so difficult to defend, particularly inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Odds of making roster: 100 percent
The Packers handed Graham a three-year, $30 million deal to sign him ahead of the New Orleans Saints. Graham will enter the season as the team’s top tight end, and likely one of the most targeted players on offense.
2018 preview
The Packers are getting an upgrade in the red zone. Graham gives Aaron Rodgers a 6-foot-7 target, and the two could dominate together. It would be no surprise at all the see the former Seahawk and Saint post double-digit touchdowns yet again.
Green Bay’s offense should suit him more than Seattle’s did. With that in mind, can Graham get anywhere close to the level he played at during his time in New Orleans? In his final two seasons with the Saints, Graham posted a combined 2,104 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Is it likely he produces at that level over the next two years? No — but the hope is his numbers increase from his time in Seattle.
Graham will immediately become an important piece of the Green Bay Packers’ offense, and one of Aaron Rodgers’ go-to targets.
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Alongside Davante Adams, the Packers now have two of the league’s most difficult pass catchers to defend in the red zone. That’s before we even talk about Rodgers, arguably the league’s most efficient quarterback in the red zone.