Tag: Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham’s role within the Saints offense should grow outside the red zone

Jimmy Graham has 3 touchdowns on 4 catches. His efficiency in the red zone begs the question: how effective could Graham be outside the 20?

Often times in life, when one question is answered another one arises. New Orleans Saints fans have often asked the question “Will the Saints use Jimmy Graham in the red zone?” all season when the fan-favorite pass-catcher was idling on the bench as a healthy scratch while their offense was failing to end drives with touchdowns.

And over the past two weeks, Graham has been successful enough inside the 20-yard line to create a new question: “Why isn’t he used more often?” Graham played a lot of snaps early in the season when Juwan Johnson was injured (including a staggering 42 of them against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4) but he was asked to work as a run blocker (73 snaps), not a pass catcher (61 snaps), more often than not.

Graham’s success rate in his specialty role as a red zone scoring threat is ridiculous. On the season, he has 4 catches for 3 touchdowns and an additional first down.

Why not expand the role? Graham could be used not just as a red zone specialist but as a weapon on third downs, too. No one should expect him to turn back the clock a decade, but he’s shown enough in a limited capacity to draw more targets. That expansion could help a struggling passing attack that finds itself low on weapons.

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Saints vs Giants: 5 most important storylines in Week 15 game

The hottest story in the NFL comes to New Orleans as the Saints take on Tommy DeVito and the Giants. Our top five storylines to watch in Week 15:

If you had to judge by the tone around the teams, you’d think New Orleans Saints were doing significantly worse than the New York Giants this season. The Saints actually have the better record. However, one team has a backup quarterback who is beloved and the other has a starting quarterback who is loathed. That explains the difference in excitement levels.

That excitement level also translates to interest level, so that’ll be something to watch. In addition to storylines pertaining to the fans, there are also a few storylines to follow that can affect the game. Both teams have a vital receiving threat who is on the fence of playing in this game. Here are the 5 most compelling storylines we’re watching in Week 15:

Week 14’s lopsided Saints-Panthers final score was fool’s gold

The New Orleans Saints may have beaten the Carolina Panthers by 22 points, but they didn’t control the game the way the score would suggest:

The New Orleans Saints are not a good team, but the Carolina Panthers are arguably the worst team in the league. On paper, a 22-point win over Carolina is an appropriate margin of victory. That score is fool’s gold. Derek Carr pointing down to the turf emphatically after a decent throw late in the fourth quarter, as if to say “I do this,” or “This is my house,” was foolish. Even in the moment it didn’t feel as gratifying as the score would read.

It’s because the Saints didn’t play good football, and they likely would have lost if they weren’t facing the Panthers on Sunday. The 6 points scored by Carolina feels pretty accurate. There were some missed opportunities by rookie quarterback Bryce Young, but the New Orleans secondary also made their fair share of plays as well.

Offensively this was a poor performance. 28 points is a trick (and one of those scores came from a head’s-up play on special teams). Carr didn’t have even 40 passing yards until there 8:12 seconds left in the 4th quarter. The offense learning Jimmy Graham is a red zone threat at the end of the season doesn’t take away from how ugly this game was. It all started with a missed field goal on the opening drive. New Orleans scored two touchdowns late in the fourth quarter that made the score look much better.

They didn’t win this game in dominant fashion. Sunday’s performance was reminiscent of their win over the Bears a month ago. The Saints offense just isn’t effective frequently enough. This is a game you were supposed to control if not dominate. New Orleans didn’t do either. The score would suggest you did both, and that’s why it’s fool’s gold.

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WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores go-ahead touchdown catch, with special celebration

WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores go-ahead touchdown catch, with special celebration

So it turns out that Jimmy Graham could have been doing this the whole time. The big New Orelans Saints tight end caught his third touchdown pass this season in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers, and he brought a special celebration with it.

Graham made to dunk over the goalpost — a move he made famous with the Saints in his youth — but pulled back on the last second for a pump fake. It was a fun nod to his signature celebration without drawing a costly penalty after the NFL outlawed the move as a hazard to equipment (stemming, of course, from that time Graham bent the goalpost in the Atlanta Falcons’ raggedy stadium off-balance).

Still, it’s looking like the coaching staff made a bad decision to bench Graham for a long stretch this season. He’s still got something to offer as a red zone scoring threat. And that’s been the offense’s biggest weakness with Pete Carmichael calling plays and Derek Carr playing quarterback. Maybe they shouldn’t have waited so long to thaw Graham out of the ice. At any rate, we’re happy to have him back now.

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WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores his second touchdown on his second catch in 2023

WATCH: Jimmy Graham scores his second touchdown on his second catch in 2023

The New Orleans Saints’ decision to bench Jimmy Graham for four games during a red zone scoring drought doesn’t look great, but we’re focusing on positives right now. Graham came in off the bench to catch his second pass of the season in Sunday’s game with the Detroit Lions — scoring his second touchdown of the season, too.

Graham’s first score came early this year against the New England Patriots, on an 8-yard strike in the red zone. He followed that up with a 6-yard touchdown catch at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday which cut into the Lions’ lead. Maybe the Saints should start using one of the greatest red zone scoring threats in NFL history more often given their issues ending drives with touchdowns? This could be a catalyst to get them trending in the right direction.

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Saints activate Jimmy Graham for his first game since Week 7

The New Orleans Saints activated veteran tight end Jimmy Graham for Sunday’s kickoff, the first game he’ll appear in since Week 7:

The New Orleans Saints activated veteran tight end Jimmy Graham for Sunday’s kickoff, the first game he’ll appear in since Week 7’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Can he make an impact against the Detroit Lions?

Graham returned to New Orleans with much fanfare at the start of training camp, but the vision of his reunion hasn’t lived up to the reality. Graham logged more snaps as a run blocker (73) than as a route-runner (61) through his first seven games back in black and gold.

And his role diminished further once Juwan Johnson returned from a calf injury early this season. Graham isn’t as fleet of foot as Johnson nor as effective a blocker as Foster Moreau, and there are few snaps to go around with Taysom Hill mixing in at tight end at times, too.

But injuries to the receiving corps have opened new opportunities for him. Starters Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed are both sidelined for Week 13 so the Saints could use Graham as a receiver in the slot or out wide. He’s only been thrown to twice this season but his lone catch gained 8 yards to score a touchdown. Let’s see what he has left in the tank.

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This 2024 NFL mock draft has the Saints adding Georgia playmaker Brock Bowers

This 2024 NFL mock draft has the Saints adding Georgia playmaker Brock Bowers, a gifted receiver who lines up at tight end:

We’re off and running into bowl season as the college football playoff tournament takes shape, and the New Orleans Saints were projected to pick one of the stars of the show in this mock draft: Georgia Bulldogs tight end Brock Bowers. The Saints went into Week 13 slotted in at the No. 12 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Here’s why Draft Wire’s Jeff Risdon says the Saints should add Bowers to their offense:

Slotting Bowers is difficult because he’s not a typical tight end. He’s more of a weapon in the mold of Kyle Pitts coming out, and all that athletic promise and collegiate accomplishment hasn’t yet paid first-round dividends on the No. 4 pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Bowers has a chance to go much higher than this, and the Saints can surely use a versatile, game-breaking target.

There’s no arguing with Bowers’ production. A receiving-first tight end, he’s caught 56, 63, and 51 passes in his three-year career at Georgia for yearly totals of 882, 942, and 661 passing yards. That’s remarkable consistently. He’s scored 31 combined touchdowns as a receiver (26) and runner (5), too, going into Saturday’s SEC Championship Game with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Saints have plenty of names at tight end between Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau (who both signed multiyear contracts this summer) with Jimmy Graham rounding out the group, but Derek Carr hasn’t gotten much out of them. Johnson has caught 18 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in seven games; Moreau has totaled just 11 receptions for 115 yards and a score; and Graham’s lone catch this season was an 8-yard touchdown.

Talent at the position isn’t a problem. Johnson broke out last year with 42 catches for 508 yards and 7 touchdowns. Moreau peaked with 28 yards per game last season on the Raiders (with Carr throwing to him, mystifyingly) but he’s only beaten that number twice this year. Part-time quarterback Taysom Hill has more receptions (24) and yards (214) than the other tight ends.

It’s the play caller and quarterback. The Saints had to use their tight ends as blockers more heavily than expected early this year, but changes to the offensive line improved protection and freed them up to catch more passes; but Pete Carmichael isn’t scheming them many designed touches and Carr isn’t spreading the ball around. Chris Olave leads the team with 103 targets through 11 games. Alvin Kamara missed the first three games and still ranks third on the team with 61 targets. Carr must do a better job surveying the field, finding his open targets, and throwing them a catchable football. Or else we’ll be stuck here this time next year wondering why Bowers is underperforming, too.

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Saints share a long list of players on first Week 13 injury report vs. Lions

The Saints shared a long list of players on their first injury report for Week 13’s game with the Lions:

The New Orleans Saints shared a long list of players on their first injury report for Week 13’s game with the Detroit Lions, including four starters who weren’t able to practice: defensive end Cameron Jordan (ankle), safety Marcus Maye (shoulder), linebacker Pete Werner (shoulder/oblique), and wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (thigh).

Three other starters were limited participants in wide receiver Chris Olave (concussion) and center Erik McCoy (shoulder), plus right tackle Ryan Ramczyk (knee), who is typically limited to start the week.

Just one Lions player wasn’t able to practice on Wednesday — former Saints linebacker Alex Anzalone, who injured his hand in their Thanksgiving Day loss to the Green Bay Packers. Anzalone has hardly missed a snap the last few years in Detroit, so it would be disappointing for him to not get the chance to play against his former team.

Here are the full injury reports from both teams:

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Saints announce inactive players for Week 12 vs. Falcons

The Saints announced their list of inactive players for Week 12’s game with the Falcons. Jimmy Graham is benched for his fourth straight game:

The New Orleans Saints’ list of inactive players in Week 12 isn’t much different from the list we saw earlier this season — with the exception of two injured rookie draft picks. Here is who will not be suiting up for Sunday’s game with the Atlanta Falcons:

  • RB Kendre Miller (injury)
  • DE Isaiah Foskey (injury)
  • QB Jake Haener
  • OL Nick Saldiveri
  • TE Jimmy Graham
  • DE Kyle Phillips

And here are the inactive players for Atlanta:

  • WR Mack Hollins (inactive)
  • QB Logan Woodside (3rd QB)
  • CB Clark Phillips III
  • OL Jovaughn Gwyn
  • DL Travis Bell
  • TE John FitzPatrick
  • DL Joe Gaziano

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Saints and Falcons list 13 combined players on first Week 12 injury report

The Saints and Falcons listed 13 combined players on the first Week 12 injury report, including Atlanta’s Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo:

And we’re off. The New Orleans Saints returned from their bye week and listed seven players on the first injury report ahead of Week 12’s game with the Atlanta Falcons — who had six of their own receiving treatment at Wednesday’s practice session.

Most notably for Atlanta: former Pro Bowl kicker Younghoe Koo, who didn’t practice while managing a back injury. He’s been a legitimate difference-maker for the Falcons in recent years and any ailment throwing him off his game could be big for New Orleans.

As for the Saints: right tackle Ryan Ramczyk and tight end Jimmy Graham were absent on their usual Wednesday rest days, while quarterback Derek Carr practiced fully (though he’s still in concussion protocol). Cornerback Marshon Lattimore, offensive lineman James Hurst, and running back Kendre Miller were all non-participants, though defensive end Isaiah Foskey was limited.

Here’s the full initial Week 12 injury report:

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