The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Gresham out of Oklahoma.
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For example, last season, as per Advanced Football Analytics, Gresham caught 77.5% of everything thrown at him as an obvious safety valve who basically never stretched the field. He has a total of 280 catches for 2,722 yards and 24 touchdowns in his career, including 62 catches for 460 yards and five TDs past year.
Gresham, who reportedly visited New Orleans in early June, is expected to make a decision before training camp kicks off. After an OTAs session last month, head coach Sean Payton confirmed the team’s interview with the tight end, and mentioned how he’d be a good fit.
I had speculated (and championed the idea numerous times) that the Saints should grab a veteran tight end due to the aforementioned lack of depth and experience at the position.
For a while now, the Arizona Cardinals have sought a premier pass-catching tight end, and that desire again becomes their focus this week. Even if Niklas breaks out as a sophomore, the Cardinals could still use a dependable backup like Gresham, who showed off good hands (a cynic would say that this could be subject to change), solid blocking, and underrated consistency in a bounce-back 2014 campaign. Gresham would most likely have had a new team already if the herniated disc was not discovered.
Saints will report to training camp July 29 in West Virginia, and practices will start July 30.
New Orleans now has four tight ends on their roster: Watson, Josh Hill, Orson Charles and Jack Tabb.
Regardless of those figures, the Cardinals and any other team Gresham visits will have more financial sway if that’s what he’s looking for. The position certainly has a different look with Graham no longer on the team.
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Not being a Debbie Downer to Saints fans but this tale doesn’t usually play out well for New Orleans when a player is allowed to leave for other visits. Drew Brees is by far the best quarterback Gresham can play with, in relation to the teams he is linked with.
