When the leak of all the big name free agents occurred over the weekend there were fears that the start of free agency would be a bit of a damp squib but it exploded into life as the Seahawks and Saints announced a blockbuster deal with Jimmy Graham headed to the Pacific Northwest. After five productive seasons in New Orleans the Saints have seen fit to move on from Graham after a tumultuous contract negotiation last offseason and their loss is the Seahawks' gain.
This past season was the first time since his rookie season that Graham finished outside our Top 10 tight ends in terms of receiving grade, with his eight drops and two fumbles taking a toll, even though he was still productive with his third double-digit touchdown season. The Seahawks been undermanned at receiver and Graham adds an extra dimension to that receiving corps, even as a tight end Graham arguably comes in as their best receiving threat.
To illustrate Graham’s threat as a receiver, six of his 10 touchdowns this season came when he was lined up at LWR or RWR; Seattle as a team got only seven touchdowns from those positions all season. The Seahawks have given up a quality center to acquire Graham but a suitable replacement at center is far harder to find than a matchup nightmare like Graham.
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