Grading on Salary-Cap Curve: Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham had the highest cap charge of any tight end in the NFL.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Player grades have long been a staple of postseason analysis. Ours are different. So much of building a team is doing it within the constraints of the salary cap. Teams need their big-money players to come up big and some bargain players to outplay their contracts. Thus, our annual grades are done on a salary-cap curve.

TIGHT ENDS

JIMMY GRAHAM

Cap: $12.67 million (first at position, according to OverTheCap.com)

Season: Graham finished fourth on the team in receptions, catching 38-of-60 passes (63.3 percent) for 447 yards (11.8 average) and three touchdowns. He had six games of 40-plus receiving yards but four games with less than 10 yards. He did deliver three key catches in the playoff victory against Seattle. His 42-yard catch in the NFC Championship Game against San Francisco is why he was signed as a free agent in 2018. It only took until his 34th game. According to Pro Football Focus, 39 tight ends were targeted at least 32 times in regular-season play. Graham ranked 31st in catch percentage and 31st in drop percentage (three drops; 7.3 percent). Two-dozen tight ends were targeted at least five times on passes 20-plus yards downfield. Graham caught 2-of-10; that 20.0 percent tying for 20th in that group. While not a great blocker, the threat of the pass with Graham in the game was a positive impact on the running game. According to league data, the Packers’ running game was 0.51 yards better with Graham in the game. After the season, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he was happy Graham was on the team and lauded Graham for his leadership. Still, as the league’s most-expensive tight end, the Packers needed a lot more. Graham’s cap charge for 2020 is scheduled to be $11.67 million. That’s the third-highest in the league. The Packers would save $8 million by moving on.

Grade: F

MARCEDES LEWIS

Cap: $2.1 million (37th at position)

Season: In 2018, Gutekunst signed Graham and Lewis as a tandem. Former coach Mike McCarthy featured Graham but practically forgot Lewis’ existence on the roster. Gutekunst talked Lewis into coming back for one more season to help the running game that new coach Matt LaFleur wanted to feature. It was a good move, with Lewis going from 190 snaps in 2018 to 487 in 2019. Generally, Lewis blocked his butt off. While the running game was 0.73 yards worse per carry with Lewis in the game, a lot of that was predictability and didn’t reflect on the down-and-dirty work that Lewis embraced. He caught 15-of-19 targeted passes (78.9 percent) for 156 yards (10.4 average) and one touchdown. He dropped a pass in Week 1 but that was it. Lewis will turn 36 on May 19. He would like to play again; Gutekunst would be wise to bring him back.

Grade: C-plus.

JACE STERNBERGER

Cap: $691,573 (74th at position)

Season: With a pair of aging tight ends atop the depth chart, Gutekunst used a third-round pick on Sternberger, a one-year wonder from Texas A&M. When Gutekunst drafted him, he projected Sternberger as a player who would create mismatches in the passing game but be a work in progress in the running game. Ultimately, in his 60 regular-season snaps and 39 playoff snaps, Sternberger played to the opposite of that projection, which probably bodes well for his future. His development was stunted by a concussion early in training camp and an ankle injury in the preseason finale. He spent the first eight games on injured reserve and didn’t catch a pass (one target) in six games on the active roster. He wound up with three catches for 15 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs. As a blocker, he contributed as a “move” tight end and at fullback. In an obviously small sample size, Green Bay’s running game was 1.16 yards better when Sternberger was on the field for regular-season games.

Grade: D.

ROBERT TONYAN

Cap: $570,000 (92nd at position)

Season: There were high hopes for the athletic Tonyan but they didn’t come to fruition. He caught 10-of-15 passes (66.7 percent) for 100 yards (10.0 average) and one touchdown. He missed five games and most of a sixth with a hip injury that limited him to 193 snaps. He didn’t drop any passes but didn’t break any tackles. Just about anything could happen next summer in training camp, from Tonyan being a primary piece in the passing game to not making the roster.

Grade: D.

Grading the Packers Series

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Receivers

Tight ends