Ryan Pace and John Fox did a hell of a job reloading the Chicago Bears roster of the past two off-seasons, turning one of the oldest rosters into one of the youngest. However, the chances were they wouldn’t be able to solve every position problem before the start of the 2016 season, and according to many experts that has become the case. A strong undercurrent continues to profess a lack of confidence in their options at tight end.

Though Zach Miller performed well last season and is expected to take over for the departed Martellus Bennett, he is 31-years old and miss three full years of football from 2012 to 2014 due to several injuries. It’s hard to put the trust of a starting job on such an unreliable body.

On top of that, their depth behind him is a mishmash of journeyman veterans like Rob Housler and former (or current) undrafted free agents like Khari Lee and Ben Braunecker. The total number of unknowns is high, and that’s never a comforting thought in the NFL. It’s also why some expect the team is still looking to make another move at the position, hopefully for a more proven veteran option.

This bring back a name SM hinted at a couple months ago in former All-Pro Jimmy Graham. Back then it had to do with a possible trade that never materialized. Now the Seattle Seahawks may find reason to give the Bears another shot at him according to Mike Burzawa of FanSided.

“It’s no secret Jimmy Graham had a disappointing first season with the Seattle Seahawks. That, coupled with the fact that Graham is coming off a major surgery at 29-years of age has led to speculation that perhaps the Seahawks may decide to go another direction. There are rumors that speculate the Seahawks could be preparing to cut Graham and save that $9 million dollar cap space. Keep in mind there were also rumors earlier this offseason of Graham being traded to the Chicago Bears for Martellus Bennett before they traded Bennett to the New England Patriots for a draft pick back in March.”

It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Bleacher Report also did an article on veteran players who saw their replacements selected in the 2016 draft. Last on that list was Graham.

“Replacement: Nick Vannett Jimmy Graham was a 24-year-old rookie in 2010, so while he hasn’t been around long, he’s already getting up there age. He’ll turn 30 during the 2016 season. Graham had a rocky year during his first season in Seattle, and the offense noticeably suffered at times due to his limited blocking ability. Those struggles may have contributed to the Seahawks targeting the more well-rounded Vannett in the third round of the draft. “

The Seahawks won’t receive any major dead money hits by cutting Graham. In fact they gain $9 million in salary cap space. They could easily use that to re-sign Luke Wilson, who becomes a free agent in 2017 and move forward with him and Vannett at tight end. After all, Russell Wilson played perhaps the best stretch of his career last season after Graham went down with his knee injury. He finished a five-game stretch with 1, 301 passing yards and 16 touchdowns to just one interception.

Don’t forget the Seahawks won the Super Bowl without a tight end of his caliber, so it’s not crazy to think they would cut him. Admittedly this looks unlikely at present but the other side of the coin argues that the Chicago Bears won’t make a move to get him since he’s not viewed as a “Pace guy.” That is to say young, physical and versatile.

Graham is going to be 30-years old and has a long history of people questioning him as a blocker. That’s fair. However, the fact of the matter is two keys are being ignored here. The first is Graham was drafted in New Orleans. Ryan Pace made his name there as a scout and then personnel director. So there’s a connection. Then there is the simple fact that Graham is a rare talent. Very few tight ends in the league can do what he does in the passing game. Prior to last year he’d gone four straight seasons with at least 85 catches, nine touchdowns and 880 yards. Try to imagine what putting him on the field with Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White might do.

Blocking issues be damned. There are always routes around such problems. If Jimmy Graham is willing to take a two or three-year deal at a reasonable price, the Chicago Bears would be stupid not to make that happen.