Green Bay Packers: Player projections for the 2019 season
By Paul Bretl
Could surprise – Jimmy Graham
The tight end position is one that has been a mystery for the Green Bay Packers for a number of seasons now and the hope was that the addition of Graham would solve that issue. However, his first season with the Packers was a bit underwhelming and he wasn’t the red zone target that many had hoped he would be.
With that said, I do not think Graham’s season was as big of a disaster as some have made it out to be. In 2018, he would haul in 55 receptions for 636 yards with two touchdowns. His total yards were more than he had the previous season in Seattle, but the touchdown catches took a huge dive.
Under new coach Matt LaFleur, tight end plays a much bigger role in the offense and players are often schemed open rather than having to win one-on-one matchups, which will benefit Graham, who isn’t the athlete that he once was.
In Tennesse last season under coach LaFleur, we saw Luke Stocker and Jonnu Smith both average career highs in yards per catch by a wide margin and as a result, I am expecting Graham to be a huge benefactor of the new offense in Green Bay this upcoming season.