Jimmy Graham was expected to provide Russell Wilson with the most dynamic pass-catching weapon of his career when the Seattle Seahawks traded for him during the offseason. However, through five games that has not happened.
Wilson did not target Graham after the 11:14 mark of the third quarter in Seattle's OT loss to the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend. The last throw that went Graham's way in that game was intercepted. Over Seattle's final six possessions, the team failed to put up a single point and Graham did not record a single target.
"We'd love to get more," head coach Pete Carroll said via ESPN. "We'd love to get more from everybody. I'd love to get the ball in his hands more. He did well in this game, but we could use more. We only completed 15 passes in this game, so we need to get more activity out of him, just like we need to get more out of the other guys too. But he's working hard at it."
As of now, Graham is on pace for 63 catches and 653 yards and sits 11th among tight ends in receiving yards (204). Although a dip in production was to be expected given the differences between the New Orleans and Seattle offenses, Graham's current level of production is a far cry from the All-Pro caliber tight end we saw with the Saints.
"Graham has gone out into pass routes 54.7 percent of the time with the Seahawks; that number was 72 percent with the Saints," ESPN's Sheil Kapadia wrote. "So it makes sense that he's seeing fewer targets.
"But even when Graham does go out into routes, Wilson is looking his way far less often than Drew Brees did. He is being targeted 19.1 percent of the time when he's a receiving option. That's the lowest mark of his career and 100th overall in the NFL this season. During Graham's career with the Saints, his target share was never less than 24.4 percent, and he never ranked lower than 41st overall."
Ultimately, the responsibility to get the ball into Graham's hands falls to Carroll and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. They can do a better job of designing plays for him. But Wilson must also do his part by throwing the ball Graham's way. He's got an invaluable weapon lining up on offense and it's up to him to take advantage of it.
We'll see if Graham's target load increases this week against the Carolina Panthers.
