Jimmy Graham injury: Saints TE nearing return

The Saints have won their last two games after starting the season at 0-4. Graham is a big part of the team having the No. 1 passing game in the league, though Colston and Moore lead the Saints in receiving yards. On the season, Graham has 25 receptions for 252 yards and tied for second on the the team with three touchdown catches.

Graham has been out since apparently injuring his ankle during a Saints victory over the San Diego Chargers on Oct. 7. He was held to just one catch for four yards in that game, an atypically poor performance for a player that’s accustomed to putting up big numbers these days.

Over the first five games of the season, Graham caught 25 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns, but he wasn’t targeted nearly as much by quarterback Drew Brees over the final three games. It’s still not entirely clear whether he’ll be able to play this weekend against the Denver Broncos, but this is a good sign.

Graham is New Orleans’ third leading receivers, with 25 catches for 252 yards. He’s second on the team in touchdowns with three, so the Saints will have to rework their game plan to make up for the large hole Graham will be leaving in it.

The Saints sit at 1-4, and in last place in the NFC South, so the game against division rival Tampa is one they desperately need to win if they want to make a run for a playoff spot.

His status going forward is up in the air, according to NOLA.com.

He did play a limited number of snaps in the second half, after not playing any in the first half following his injury.

Graham eventually returned to the game early in the third quarter, but we’ve got a .gif below of what initially took him out of the game. If you watch his right ankle, you’ll notice it turning in a way that human ankles typically do not turn under normal circumstances.

So yeah, that happened. Watching it is cringe-inducing enough, so plenty feared that Graham might be out and unable to assist the Saints in a possible second half comeback, but he’s been in on offense off and on since returning to the game. He’s caught one pass for four yards on the day, and hasn’t been a frequent target thus far.