RADIO
I would like to begin this little blurb by paraphrasing the great Bob Ryan of The Boston Globe and ESPN’s Around the Horn fame. With how little Jimmy Graham has been utilized in the passing game, Ryan made the analogy that this would be the equivalent of the Seattle Mariners signing Nelson Cruz just to slot him ninth in the batting order and play at shortstop. In other words, the Seahawks clearly aren’t playing to Graham’s strengths.
Having said that, there are a couple important things to keep in mind here. The first is the fact that Jimmy Graham plays at a position that fluctuates on a week-to-week basis considerably. Tight ends come and go each week, with very few able to string together a level of consistency you can be comfortable with. That directly relates to the fact that Graham left an offense in New Orleans where he was the focal point of the passing games. Lastly, it is now public knowledge that not only is he unhappy with his role in the offense but head coach Pete Carroll is well aware of that fact. It’s for all three of those reasons that I think this isn’t as bad as it looks.
With a tasty matchup against the Chicago Bears looming and having Graham’s unhappiness addressed publicly, I’m confident that the Seahawks will find a way to utilize him more effectively sooner rather than later. Having said that, I think the days of Graham as the clear-cut number two tight end in the league are over. That’s not to say he can’t be an effective member of your fantasy team but I think he’s firmly entrenched in the same tier as Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen. They’re players who are a significant cut above the rest but still a step below Rob Gronkowski. It stinks if you drafted him higher than that and I’m in no way shape or form advocating bailing on him. I think you just need to temper your expectations going forward.
