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When the New Orleans Saints surprisingly reunited with Jimmy Graham in July, the team’s brass said they did so with a certain role in mind. General manager Mickey Loomis said Graham could still bring a lot to a team, while coach Dennis Allen said the 36-year-old would be a “perfect fit” for the tight end room.
Through nine weeks, that role appears to be centered around more of what Graham can contribute from a veteran’s perspective rather than his play on the field.
Graham was a healthy scratch in Sunday’s 24-17 win over the Chicago Bears, and he has been inactive for two straight weeks. Graham also did not suit up for New Orleans’ Oct. 30 win over the Indianapolis Colts, though he was listed as questionable heading into the weekend with an illness. With Graham was removed from the injury report a week later, the Saints chose to rely on Juwan Johnson, Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill at the position against the Bears.
The decision to make Graham inactive comes at a time when the Saints are fully healthy at tight end. Johnson, after missing four weeks, returned from a calf injury for the Colts game — making Graham the odd man out.
“Look, I mean, you’ve (only) got 48 guys on game day,” Allen said Monday, referring to the NFL’s roster limits for games. “There’s only one ball offensively. And you have (a) certain number of guys on defense, certain number of guys on the offense.
“You have (a) certain number of guys that have to be able to help you in the kicking game. And so I just think that’s part of the numbers game that we’re dealing with.”
Earlier in the season, the Saints did try to keep all four of Johnson, Moreau, Hill and Graham active when available. The foursome played the first two games of the year. Even in that setting, however, Graham’s role was limited: The 13-year veteran played nine snaps in Week 1 and 10 in Week 2.
But Graham hasn’t been productive in moments when he’s suited up in 2023. Before being sidelined for back-to-back games, Graham had caught just one pass — an 8-yard touchdown against Green Bay — and received only two targets in seven contests. Quarterback Derek Carr has displayed more of a connection with Johnson (13 catches, 95 yards), Moreau (11 catches, 115 yards) and Hill (20 catches, 142 yards).
Graham’s lack of usage may come as a surprise to those who fondly remembered his days of being former quarterback Drew Brees’ go-to target for New Orleans. In reality, Graham — who turns 37 later this month — hasn’t been that player for quite some time. His last season with noteworthy production came in 2020 when he hauled in 50 catches, 456 yards and eight touchdowns for the Bears.
A year later, Graham caught only 14 passes in 15 games. He took all of 2022 off before rejoining the Saints this past offseason.
Still, there haven’t been a lot of instances when Graham was healthy enough to play — and then didn’t. As a rookie, Graham missed the first game of the season in what appeared to be a healthy scratch after being listed as probable with an ankle injury. But between then and Sunday, Graham only missed games because of injury or illness.
Allen said Graham has handled the demotion well.
“He’s been awesome,” Allen said. “He’s been outstanding. Jimmy’s a pro. And you know, he’s taking it exactly like you would think, being a pro about it, going about doing his job. And he’ll be ready when he’s called upon.”
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