Free agent tight end Jermaine Gresham is visiting with the Packers, a source tells Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (on Twitter). Gresham is an intriguing option for a Green Bay team with questions at the tight end position.
Andrew Quarless was viewed by many as the favorite to start at tight end, but a July arrest has thrown his status into flux. Quarless reportedly fired a pair of rounds following an argument with two women at a South Beach parking garage. When police pursued the vehicle he was riding in, the 26-year-old tried to hide outside a restaurant and conceal his weapon in a potted plant. The gun, reportedly, was legally registered to Quarless. If Quarless is suspended to start the year, the Packers could turn to second-year tight end Richard Rodgers, who caught 20 passes for the team in 2014. However, a proven commodity like Gresham could make more sense.
Gresham visited with the Cardinals on Tuesday but left without a deal. Arizona is apparently weighing other tight end options too after expressing interest in former Washington notable Chris Cooley. The Saints also hosted Gresham on a visit back in June and they could be a solid fit for his services. New Orleans, of course, traded dynamic tight end Jimmy Graham to Seattle in March and would probably like an established veteran to fill his shoes.
Gresham, a former Oklahoma product, never lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he was selected by Cincinnati in the first round of the 2010 draft, but he has a history of consistent production, averaging about 56 catches, 544 yards, and five touchdowns per year. He is also a capable blocker, and although there is no chance he will return to the Bengals, he now has a handful of clubs to choose from as he enters the next stage of his career.
Ted Thompson waiting until nearly August to find a more than serviceable starter? You don’t say…
I wasn’t that high on Gresham even before the back injury, but it’s hard to imagine a better fit for him than Green Bay. I could certainly see him having a nice year if he ends up with Aaron Rodgers throwing him passes.