Jarrett Bell

USA TODAY Sports

METAIRIE, La. — Of course, Drew Brees wishes his most productive target, Jimmy Graham, was on the practice field when the New Orleans Saints opened their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.

Yet with the status of the star tight end twisting in the winds of a franchise tag dispute, Brees is forced to deal with the reality of Graham's absence. Without a contract, Graham isn't required to attend the mandatory three-day camp.

"I'd hate to not have Jimmy," Brees told USA TODAY Sports. "I'm very confident that a deal will get done. But if it doesn't, you worry about what you do have and who you do have out there."

At the moment, one thing the Saints offense possesses is a huge void. Last season, Graham led the Saints with 86 catches, 1,215 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Beyond the numbers, he's what they call a matchup nightmare. Long. Lean. Agile.

Brees knows all of that. But he knows history, too. Sean Payton arrived in New Orleans in 2006, and he built his killer system around Brees and his pinpoint passing.

"Look at our numbers over the last eight years," he said. "We've had a lot of different guys in there. Jimmy's only been here four years. He's only been here half the time. We were putting up some pretty big numbers before he got here, and we've been putting up some big numbers since he's been here.

"Hey, we do what we do. It's nice when you can have guys like Jimmy, and obviously he's a big part of our offense. If he's in there, we're going to try to get him the ball. We're game-planning ways to get him the ball, ways to put him in the best position to succeed. But if he's not, somebody else is going to get those touches. We'll put those guys in position."

That's easier said than done. And without scatback Darren Sproles and receiver Lance Moore — both departed from a unit that ranked fourth for total yards and second for passing yards — there's some significant tweaking at work for the Saints.

At least Graham will come back, and as a proven commodity, provided they can strike a deal.

The Saints slapped a franchise tag on Graham in March, but Graham — who played two-thirds of his snaps last season in the slot or aligned wide — objected to the tight end designation that carries a $7.035 million tender.

Graham's camp, which includes agent Jimmy Sexton, contends he should be tagged at the wide receiver figure of $12.3 million for a one-year tender.

Graham filed a grievance last month; a hearing is pending.

Brees intimately knows about contract disputes. He missed the offseason program and minicamp in 2012 before striking a then-record five-year, $100 million deal two weeks before the start of training camp.

In Graham's case, settling the franchise tag dispute is merely the next step. The tag number could ultimately provide the foundation to a long-term deal.

In the meantime, what-ifs.

"I expect to have him, but it's just like if he gets injured," Brees said. "What happens if he gets hurt? You've got to roll without him. The one game he was hurt back in 2012, I think we threw for about 400 (yards).

"So you find other ways to make the system work."