The Chicago Bears have made it clear that addressing the tight end position was a priority for them this offseason.
After signing veteran Demetrius Harris, who has experience in Matt Nagy’s offense, general manager Ryan Pace turned to the free agent market and signed veteran Jimmy Graham.
Pace certainly overpaid for Graham — $16 million with $9 million on a two-year deal. But we’ve seen what Pace does when he finds his guy. And apparently, once Austin Hooper was gone, Graham became his fallback plan.
It’s safe to say that the Bears aren’t done at the tight end position this offseason. Expect them to draft a tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, let’s get to know the newest Bears tight end:
1. Jimmy Graham has played with three sure-fire Hall-of-Fame QBs in his career
Jimmy Graham has been quite lucky during his 10-year career, as he’s gotten to play with some future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks in Drew Brees, Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. Graham started his career with Brees in New Orleans, where he exploded onto the scene.
Graham then took his talents to Seattle, where he got to play with Wilson and made it to two Pro Bowls. Graham’s latest stop was in Green Bay with Rodgers, where he was good enough but not nearly the same player he was with the Saints.
Going from Rodgers to Trubisky should be a culture shock, to say the least.
2. Graham has a history of injuries…but hasn’t missed a game since 2015
One of the knocks on Graham has been his history of injuries. He’s played through wrist, foot and shoulder injuries throughout his career. While he didn’t miss any significant time through most of those injuries, that was when he was younger.
The only time Graham missed any significant time was after suffering a knee injury in November 2015, where he was placed on injury reserve in December and missed the last few games.
Considering the Bears’ top three tight ends wound up on injured reserve last season, the fact that Graham hasn’t missed a game since 2015 is certainly reassuring.
3. Ryan Pace had front-row seat to Graham’s best seasons in New Orleans
Considering the Bears aren’t getting Graham in his prime, there had to be a reason that Chicago was high enough on him to give him a two-year deal worth $16 million with $9 million guaranteed.
But of course. It’s the Ryan Pace connection
Bears general manager Ryan Pace was with the Saints when they drafted Graham in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Pace got a front-row seat to the kind of weapon Graham became for Drew Brees. In five seasons with the Saints, Graham averaged 77 catches, 950 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Hopefully Pace realizes that we’re not going back in time with Graham here. Because if Pace is banking on Graham to turn the tight end problem around, Pace might be out of a job by season’s end.
4. Graham was more productive than all Bears tight ends combined in 2019
Chicago’s tight ends were a complete disaster in 2019. The Bears’ top three tight ends — Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker — all wound up on injured reserve before season’s end. But even before that, they weren’t necessarily productive.
Meanwhile, Graham wasn’t the flashiest tight end in 2019, but his numbers were favorable. He had 38 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns. That was more than all of Chicago’s tight ends combined.
When all was said and done, the Bears tight ends finished with 46 catches for 416 yards and two touchdowns. There’s no doubt that Graham is an upgrade over the current tight ends. But that’s not the same as being the answer to the problem.
5. Graham is now the oldest player on the Bears
The Bears are a relatively young football team. At 33 years old, Graham becomes the oldest player on Chicago’s roster.
In the past, Pace has been hesitant to reward older players with big money contracts. It’s safe to say that Pace is in a win-now mode, and apparently he believes Graham plays a big part in that.
