Chicago Bears: 4 players who could lose their job in 2020
By Ryan Heckman
3. Tight End Jimmy Graham
Last season, we might have just witnessed the near-end for veteran tight end Jimmy Graham. In his second and final season with the Green Bay Packers, he saw the fewest targets (60), receptions (38), receiving yards (447) and first downs (23) since his rookie season where he only started five games.
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I know we would all love to believe the offseason hype around Graham wanting to prove the doubters wrong. That’s all nice and dandy, but it’s also likely a bunch of fluff. Hey, would I love to see Graham prove me wrong? Absolutely. But, it’s a far cry from happening, the way I see it.
Chicago used it’s very first selection in this year’s draft — a crucial, valuable selection I might add — to address the tight end position. Drafting Cole Kmet, like it or not, was Ryan Pace’s way of saying he’s had enough of this group underperforming.
It typically takes a couple of years for tight ends to truly break out and develop, but I don’t think there’s a whole lot of competition for Kmet right now. Graham will be given the veteran nod to start the season, but if Kmet takes advantage of his playing time, he most definitely could surpass Graham as the no. 1 by season’s end.
A recent example of a rookie tight end coming on early is Evan Engram of the New York Giants, and even Noah Fant of the Denver Broncos later last season. Kmet has the opportunity to earn significant time, and with the aging Graham in front of him, I think he has a shot to start eventually.