Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire believes so.
Farrar, who is breaking down the top players at every position entering the 2019 season, ranked Jimmy Graham as the NFL’s 10th best tight end – just ahead of Austin Hooper and right behind Kyle Rudolph.
In his first season in Green Bay, Graham produced 55 catches, 636 yards and two touchdowns – the fewest number of scores in a full season of his NFL career. He finished ninth among NFL tight ends in both catches and receiving yards, despite the Packers’ dysfunctional passing game and a broken thumb suffered in November.
Farrar is guessing a new offense will benefit Graham in 2019.
“New head coach Matt LaFleur should be better at scheming guys open than ex-head coach Mike McCarthy ever was, and Graham still has the quickness to make things happen in the right system—plus, he has picked up a few things about route-running this decade,” Farrar wrote.
Aaron Rodgers agrees. He’s banking on a big year from his veteran tight end.
“I expect a big bounce-back year from Jimmy,” Rodgers said earlier this month during OTAs. “He’s healthy, he’s feeling good. This offense, I think, fits him and his body type.”
Graham is the highest paid tight end in football, with the biggest cap hit at the position in 2019 and the highest overall yearly average. He’s entering the second year of a three-year deal, so the Packers are banking on more output in 2019 – and Graham will likely need a big year to stick around for a third year in Green Bay.
As for Graham being one of the NFL’s top 10 tight ends: There simply aren’t that many quality tight ends in today’s game. The five-time Pro Bowler can still be a matchup problem in the right passing game, and that’s more than enough for him to remain one of the game’s best at the position, even after a disappointing year.
