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Seahawks trying to get Jimmy Graham more involved in game plan

Jimmy Graham

Since Jimmy Graham’s arrival to the Seattle Seahawks he has only 18 receptions over the course of four games. These numbers are pitiful compared to the 32 catches notched in his first four games in 2014 with the New Orleans Saints.

Graham’s spotty targets have him ranking sixth among this year’s tight ends in receptions. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell claims the team is working on ways to feature Graham more often.

“It’s always going to be a question for us, I know that,” Bevell said this week, per The Seattle Times. “We’re doing everything we can to try to get everybody involved in the offense. We want Jimmy to catch balls, I know you’ll probably ask me that every week. We want him involved, we want him to catch balls, there’s a lot of things that we ask him to do, whether it’s catching, whether it’s blocking, whether it’s being a decoy. You can just go on and on, and we expect him to do it the best that he can.”

Prior to the start of the season, Bevell had stated this about acquiring Graham (via NFL.com):

“The cool part about Jimmy is we can just plug him in,” adding: “We really don’t have to do anything special.”

To date, quarterback Russell Wilson has targeted wide receiver Doug Baldwin more than Graham. From Graham’s 18 grabs for the season, he has totaled only 174 yards and two touchdowns, and at times, it’s almost as if the 6-foot-7 tight end is invisible.

Seattle’s offense is structured much differently than that of the Saints. In New Orleans, Graham was practically their featured playmaker. The Seahawks focus first on the run and Wilson’s ability for making plays on the ground.

Bevell further explained the sporadic sightings of Graham:

“There’s a lot of things involved,” Bevell argued. “There’s times he’s the number one guy, times he’s the number three guy, times that we’ve got him on the far side, we don’t even want him involved in it. We’re moving the ball around. We’re not just going to sit here and throw him 5,000 balls. He’s in our thoughts.”

It would appear that Bevell is exhausted with the questions regarding Graham’s usage. However, we’re still faced the conclusion that Graham doesn’t look anywhere near at home with his new team.

Despite laughing off the idea that he isn’t happy in Seattle, there could be some tension brewing that only festers the longer this goes on.

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