Seahawks' Hopes Rest on the Play of Jimmy Graham This Season

The Seattle Seahawks wasted little time in their efforts to get back to a third-straight Super Bowl by trading for Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham on the first day of free agency in March.

Graham is arguably the best tight end in the National Football League and has 51 career touchdowns in five seasons. He became Drew Brees' favorite red-zone target in New Orleans, and a favorite pick for fantasy football owners.

After a little bit of a down season in 2014, the 28-year-old will certainly be out to prove that he's still a force to be reckoned with. If he is, the Seahawks will find themselves back in Super Bowl contention.

The big question surrounding Graham's signing was how he would fit into Seattle's offense. The Seahawks are a run-first team and have no plans of changing that strategy, even with Graham in the fold.

Graham mentioned the difference from his blocking responsibilities last year as compared to now when he spoke at training camp on Monday, as reported by Seahawks.com writer John Boyle:

"

Yeah, I’m blocking here. Out there the last few I was pretty banged up so midway through the year I kind of stopped blocking, and I just routed people up. Now here, I’m blocking quite a bit and I love it. It’s very important for me to be a part of that here because that’s about 75 percent of the offense here, and when you have a back like that you want to be in there on those explosive runs, and you want to be a part of that.

"

Graham will help open up running lanes for Marshawn Lynch, who ran for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Graham and fellow tight end Luke Willson will be vital in opening holes for Lynch, which should help to limit some of the wear and tear on the running back.

It also didn't take long for head coach Pete Carroll to express his excitement for Graham after the first day of training camp, as shown here on Seattle TV on seahawks.com:

But aside from blocking, Graham will have the biggest impact on Seattle's passing game, which ranked 27th in the league last season (Seattle was ranked first in rushing yards per game).

Wilson was able to make the best of his receiving corps and is one of the best scrambling quarterbacks in the game. Graham will help the passing game as another target in play-action situations and could help Wilson read defenses before the snap.

With Graham in the fold, Seattle's red-zone offense will cause countless headaches for defenses, as noted by Wilson in an interview after Day 7 of training camp with NFL Network's Michael Robinson:

NFL Media's Bucky Brooks and Maurice Jones-Drew took things a step further and broke down how the Seahawks will use Graham in their offense, also mentioning his impact in the red zone.

Graham is just what Seattle needs to put its offense over the top. Wilson hasn't lost a game by more than 10 points since his college days and will now have a reliable passing option to go to in big situations.

Graham is already turning heads in training camp and showing just what he'll be capable of if the ball comes his way:

Safety DeShawn Shead had the task of defending Graham on that play and is able to stick with him for most of the route, even lunging into the passing lane after the throw. However, Graham's height and quick hands prevailed, making the catch almost look easy.

Seattle's offense will still pound the ball on the ground, but it is now a new and improved version with Graham on the field. If he can excel as a blocker and put up similar numbers to what he did in New Orleans, the Seahawks will be good enough to win the NFC West and make it back to the NFC Championship Game.

Also, if Seattle's defense can continue to perform at an elite level and stay healthy, a third trip to the Super Bowl isn't out of the question.

And after losing in heartbreaking fashion last year, just think what the outcome of that final play could have been if Wilson had Jimmy Graham to throw to.