Most Intriguing Seahawks: No. 2, TE Jimmy Graham

Each day until the start of training camp, “Brock and Salk” is talking with an NFL analyst and counting down the 25 most intriguing players on the Seahawks’ roster. “Two-a-days” continued with ESPN’s Jerome Bettis as the guest and Jimmy Graham as the second-most intriguing Seahawk. The segment on Graham is embedded above. My thoughts are below.

• Position: TE
• Height/Weight: 6-7, 265
• Experience: Seventh season
• Acquired: Trade with New Orleans, 2015

Overview: “No finish lines.” That was a phrase general manager John Schneider used to explain the reasoning behind Seattle’s decision to acquire Graham during the 2015 offseason. The Seahawks could have stood pat and focused on keeping intact a group that had just reached consecutive Super Bowls, which would have been a perfectly understandable approach. But Schneider’s belief was that there is no finish line to roster-building and that as strong as Seattle’s already was, it would be better with the addition of one of the NFL’s best offensive weapons. So the Seahawks pulled off a blockbuster trade with New Orleans, parting with center Max Unger and the 31st overall pick to acquire Graham as well as a fourth-rounder. Graham was the standout of the offseason, which seemed like a preview of a monster season that never materialized. Graham caught 48 passes for 605 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games before he went down with a torn patellar tendon in his knee, an injury from which he is still recovering as he heads into his second season with the Seahawks.

The intrigue: Graham was one of the NFL’s most productive pass-catchers in New Orleans, averaging about 89 catches, 1,100 yards and 11.5 touchdowns over his final four seasons with the Saints. Can he be the same player, or close to it, with Seattle while operating in a different offense and coming off a serious injury? The numbers that Graham posted last season before his injury were well behind his previous averages with New Orleans. That wasn’t a major surprise given what figured to be fewer opportunities in Seattle’s run-first offense. And Graham entered his final game of last season tied for the team lead in receptions and was a close second in receiving yards. But there were times when he didn’t seem to be fitting in Seattle’s offense, and he was never the red-zone threat he’s capable of being. All of that led to some uncertainty over the offseason as to whether or not Seattle would bring Graham back. The Seahawks owe him an average of $9 million over the next three seasons, more money than what his production last season will justify paying. His injury is another question mark as patellar-tendon tears are known to come with difficult and uncertain recoveries.

2016 outlook: The Seahawks expect Graham to be ready for the start of the season, but he’s still sidelined for now. The team placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start training camp. He’ll stay there until he’s ready to begin practicing. When he does, a key for Graham will be fine-tuning his chemistry with quarterback Russell Wilson. As close as those two have become off the field, they didn’t always seem to be on the same page on the field. One of the issues was how much Seattle’s offense relies on Wilson’s scrambling, something Graham wasn’t accustomed to having played with a more stationary quarterback in Drew Brees. If Graham can become more of a factor on scramble plays and in the red zone this season, it will go a long way toward producing at the level the Seahawks expected when they acquired him.

Most Intriguing Seahawks: 25, DL Quinton Jefferson; 24, WR Kasen Williams; 23, WR Paul Richardson; 22, G Mark Glowinski; 21, TE Nick Vannett; 20, CB Jeremy Lane; 19, DT Jordan Hill; 18, RB Alex Collins; 17, S Tyvis Powell; 16, G Germain Ifedi; 15, QB Russell Wilson; 14, FS Earl Thomas; 13, CB Tharold Simon; 12, WR Doug Baldwin; 11, WR Tyler Lockett; 10, LT Garry Gilliam; 9, DL Michael Bennett; 8, DB Brandon Browner; 7, OL Justin Britt; 6, RB C.J. Prosise; 5, DT Jarran Reed; 4, DE Frank Clark; 3, RB Thomas Rawls.