Cincinnati Bengals free agency 2018: Top 5 targets

Even though he made two Pro Bowls in his three years with the Seattle Seahawks, it may be the end of the line for Jimmy Graham in the Pacific Northwest. He will be 31 for most of the 2018 NFL season, and will likely be on his third team after the New Orleans Saints and Seahawks.

Graham signed a massive four-year, $40,000,000 deal with the Saints back in 2014. His contract was of much debate about whether he was best classified as a tight end or a slot receiver. Either way, the Saints traded him once the 2015 NFL season began in March for center Max Unger. Let’s just say that the Saints definitely won that trade.

That being said, a change of scenery could be good for him. There is a chance he could find his way to the Bengals and catch some touchdowns in the red zone for quarterback Andy Dalton. Graham could conceivably replace fellow free agent tight end Tyler Eifert in Cincinnati. Having Graham in the same receiving corps with wide receiver extraordinaire A.J. Green could lead to one of the best passing offenses in Bengals history.

However, Cincinnati is notoriously cheap and may not be willing to pay a premium for a better tight end in Graham over retaining Eifert. Truth be told, it is buyer beware with Graham in his free agency. He’s not a kid anymore and wasn’t the same elite player in Seattle when he was with the Saints. All that aside, Cincinnati should look into acquiring Graham as one of its big free agent acquisitions of 2018.