Seahawks Player Profile: Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham is at a crossroads in his career after blowing out his knee last season with the Seahawks. What can we expect from the tight end in 2016?

More from Seattle Seahawks

• Seattle Seahawks: To rest or not to rest, that is the question
• Seattle Seahawks: 12s still waiting to exhale
• Seattle Seahawks: 4 Takeaways from 26-23 Loss to the 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks: Four Takeaways from Week 14 21-7 victory
• Seattle Seahawks: Three Takeaways from the Week 13 43-16 victory

Jimmy Graham‘s best season was in 2011, when he caught 99 balls for 1310 yards and 11 touchdowns. He followed that season up with remarkably consistent production and health for the next three seasons. Before tearing his patellar tendon last season with the Seahawks following a blockbuster trade that sent center Max Unger to New Orleans, he had appeared in 89 games in the NFL, starting 61 of them.

His two touchdowns on 74 targets last season were a career low. Even during his rookie season with the Saints, Jimmy Graham scored five touchdowns on 44 targets. He uses his freakish athletic ability and his 6’7″ 260-pound frame to box out defenders and score touchdowns.

But Jimmy Graham’s pedigree as the best or second-best tight end in the NFL is well-known. What we don’t know is how he will recover from his season-ending knee injury and what he will look like on the field again. It’s easy to imagine Graham grabbing passes over the middle and trucking five defenders on the way to a 50-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson, but we have to temper our expectations for the big man in 2016.

Jimmy Graham will have much to prove next season. He’s entering his age-30 season, which isn’t the same death sentence as it would be for a running back in the NFL, but players rarely succeed on the same levels as their younger selves at that age. Word out of camp is that Jimmy Graham is running and catching passes from Wilson, who was so encouraged by what he saw from his tight end that he tweeted this:

I understand that you may be getting tired of athletes saying things like “best shape of my life” and “ready to dominate” coming off of serious injuries, but Wilson doesn’t always tweet about how his teammates look in practice amidst all of his cute pictures and Bible quotes.

Jimmy Graham was mostly ineffective in the 11 games he started with the Seahawks last season, or at least didn’t show the same kind of dominance that once made him a All-Pro tight end, but his 74 targets from in 2015 at least show that Wilson was trying to get him the ball. In the early parts of the season, with the offensive line getting routinely bulldozed, it was difficult for Wilson to target anyone besides whoever he could flip the ball to to escape pressure. When he could, Wilson looked Jimmy Graham’s way.

Next: Mariners Draft Profile: Kyle Lewis

The blogosphere appears divided over Jimmy Graham’s prospects. Some foretell the end of his distinguished career altogether. Others see reasons for optimism. What does seem certain is that Jimmy Graham will play 2016 with a chip on his shoulder–something to prove to the league. I for one hope that he plays with that attitude in a Seahawks uniform.