Seattle Seahawks: Brandon Marshall can help replace Jimmy Graham

The Seattle Seahawks have signed veteran Brandon Marshall for one year, and he can help replace the loss of Jimmy Graham in the red zone.

Despite the big-name free agents having long been unavailable, many veterans remain on the market as May comes to a close. However, after Tuesday, there is one less such player. On Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks agreed to a one-year deal with veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall, as reported by NFL.com.

Last with the New York Giants, Marshall had a disappointing 2017 season after suffering an ankle injury that limited him to just five games. In the previous two seasons, however, Marshall was a beast for the New York Jets as he hauled in 168 receptions for 2,290 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Particularly in 2015, Marshall was an absolute monster in the red zone for the Jets. The Jets targeted the veteran wideout on over 30 percent of their red zone passing attempts and it paid off. He ended up with 10 touchdowns in the season inside the red zone. And while his numbers dipped in 2016 and then the injury shortened his 2017, that ability to be a red zone threat has to be a key reason why the Seahawks are bringing him in.

Specifically, Marshall could be looked to as someone who can help replace the loss of tight end Jimmy Graham.

In 2017, Graham was absolutely critical to the Seattle offense when they got in the red zone. He was targeted on just over 35 percent of the Seahawks’ passing attempts inside the 20-yard line. Moreover, he made the most of that with a catch rate of 61.5 percent and 10 touchdowns coming in the red zone.

While Graham may not have been the player he was in New Orleans during his time with the Seahawks, that value in the red zone can’t be overstated. And with his departure, the Seahawks lacked the big-bodied threat that can make plays over the top of the defense in the red zone. In theory, Marshall now gives them that.

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Of course, Marshall is 34 years old and it’s been over a year since we’ve seen him produce at an elite level. Having said that, Marshall won’t be looked upon to be a No. 1 guy in this offense as that role belongs to Doug Baldwin. Instead, he could be a role player for the offense that comes in to either play decoy or make plays in the red zone.

There are certainly reasons to still be concerned about the Seahawks offense, most of those reasons centering on the the offensive line. Having said that, Marshall answers one question about this unit heading into 2018.