Jermaine Gresham remains a free agent and teams like the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos could be potential landing spots for the tight end in OTAs or training camp, as he is coming back from an injury and could be a good option to replace Jimmy Graham for the Saints.
Gresham came into the offseason as one of the top tight ends on the market, but he ended up getting passed over after having to undergo back surgery. Players like Charles Clay and Jordan Cameron signed deals and now Gresham is looking to get with a team, for the end of OTAs or in training camp. According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, the Saints have shown interest in Gresham and he has set up a visit with the team. The Saints traded Jimmy Graham to the Seahawks this offseason and could see Gresham as a replacement.
Gresham had surgery to help with a herniated disc in his back and while he is rehabbing this offseason, Pro Football Talk reports that he should be healthy for training camp and the start of the season. The Raiders showed interest along with the Cleveland Browns early in free agency, but Gresham then needed surgery and the teams backed off. The Browns drafted two tight ends this offseason and lost Cameron to the Dolphins and they could be a potential option if the Saints don't sign Gresham.
Gresham comes in after being a first round pick for the Bengals back in 2010, but the team saw him as expendable with Tyler Eifert getting picked before last year. Gresham reportedly could return to the Bengals, but right now there is no movement on the team signing him back. Gresham has not missed much time since coming into the NFL, as he has missed just six games overall. Gresham did deal with a torn ACL back in college, but that injury has not cropped up again for Gresham.
Gresham is still relatively young at 26 years old and he had a solid season in 2014 with 62 catches for 460 yards and five touchdowns. Gresham had his best season back in 2012 when he had a career best 64 catches for 737 yards and the year before that he put up his high in TD catches with six. Gresham is not going to put up Graham numbers, but he is athletic and big at 6-foot-5 and eh has size at 260 pounds and he has been a consistent red zone threat, scoring at least four touchdowns in each of his five seasons in the league.
The Saints will need some more help with Graham getting traded and Gresham could be a good fit along with Ben Watson and Josh Hill. According to NFL.com, the visit with the Saints is his first since the surgery and this comes after Charles Robinson on Twitter reported last month the Cardinals may look into Gresham as well. The Cardinals lost John Carlson to retirement and they could bring in Gresham if the Saints deal doesn't work out.
