Garrett Graham to Broncos: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Tight end Garrett Graham has something to prove after a disappointing 2015 campaign, and the Denver Broncos gave him his opportunity on Monday. 

According to Andrew Mason of the team's official website, Denver inked Graham to a new deal. Adam Caplan of ESPN reported the tight end signed for the veteran minimum and received a signing bonus of $80,000.

Mason pointed out "Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak prefers to have at least three tight ends who know the scheme to make his offense work," and Graham joins Virgil Green and Jeff Heuerman on the roster. 

This comes after the Houston Texans placed Graham on waivers on March 3, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. The Texans drafted him in the fourth round in 2010 and once saw him as the tight end of the future for the franchise, but he was inactive for the final eight regular-season games in 2015 and the postseason loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

What’s more, McClain noted Graham’s release provided Houston with “an additional $3.1 million in salary-cap room.” 

Graham took to Twitter to thank the Houston fans after the news:

While Graham has been inconsistent throughout his NFL career, he flashed his potential as a 6’3” red-zone threat during his breakout season in 2013:

Season	Games	Receptions	Targets	Receiving Yards	Touchdown Catches
2011	7	1	2	24	0
2012	15	28	38	263	3
2013	13	49	88	545	5
2014	11	18	28	197	1
2015	8	4	19	30	1

He will be 30 years old for the entirety of the 2016 campaign and likely doesn’t have another effort forthcoming like the one fans saw in 2013, but he can provide veteran leadership and a low-risk, high-reward option for his new team.

Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk pointed out Graham was never really a fit in Bill O’Brien’s offense after he impressed for Kubiak when the latter was in Houston. Ideally for Denver, reuniting with his former coach will bring out the best in Graham in his veteran years, especially since he is familiar with the offense and scheme.

Houston actually inked him to a three-year deal before the 2014 season as Owen Daniels’ replacement, but Graham never lived up to the billing he established with Kubiak when he was under O’Brien.

Alas, the fact the tight end is coming off a disappointing couple of seasons works to Denver's advantage. Not only was he still available late in the free-agency period, but he should also be motivated to prove he is more like the player who impressed in 2013 than the one who languished on Houston’s depth chart in 2015.

Anything resembling the 2013 version of Graham will help the Broncos improve their aerial attack and chase a second consecutive Super Bowl title in 2016.