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Why the Seahawks traded Jeremy Lane instead of Jimmy Graham

By Todd Vandenberg

GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 01: Jeremy Lane #20 of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball against the New England Patriots as he makes an interception in the first quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 01: Jeremy Lane #20 of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball against the New England Patriots as he makes an interception in the first quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham
SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 29: Tight end Jimmy Graham #88 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the game against the Houston Texans at CenturyLink Field on October 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

Willson is a good player, but even in an off year, Graham is better

There was a lot of buzz about Graham being moved. His heroics against the Texans probably had a lot to do with the fact he’s still a Seahawk tonight. Obviously if Graham had been traded, Luke Willson would have been the first man up. He’s been targeted about one fourth as often as Graham this season, just 12 times to Graham’s 46 targets. It’s true he’s been more efficient on those targets, bringing down eight passes and two touchdowns. That’s 75 percent this season versus just 61 percent for Graham. For his career, Willson has been targeted 126 times and made 82 receptions. He has 1073 total yards and 9 career touchdowns. It sounds okay until you realize this: basically, his entire five year career has been just one typical Jimmy Graham season.

And that is why Graham is still a Seahawk, and Lane isn’t. Lane had the next man up in place already in Shaquill Griffin. Or Justin Coleman, for that matter. Lane couldn’t earn a starting spot until the injury of DeShawn Shead anyway, and hopefully Shead will be back this season. You want to know why you got benched, Mr. Lane? Because you only earned a starting role through injury. Thank DeShawn Shead’s ACL for your playing time. In essence, Lane was the Luke Willson of the Seattle cornerbacks. A good player, but not a starter, certainly not a Pro Bowler.

Seahawks traded a backup and kept a Pro Bowler

I’m not knocking Willson, either. He’s a very good player. He’s a great team-first guy. And he’s a very valuable player for the Seahawks. But his entire career is basically an average Jimmy Graham season. It makes no sense to downgrade at one position when you can basically keep your talent level stable at another. We’ve seen Jeremy Lane’s best. We’re a long way from seeing the best of Shaquill Griffin or Justin Coleman.

Related Story: Maybe this is why Jeremy Lane has a Houston address now

You don’t trade away a Pro Bowler when you can move a guy who battles every week just to earn his spot instead. Plus Graham wasn’t the guy who whined on Twitter about getting benched, either. Jeremy Lane did a lot of good things for Seattle, and we wish him well. Having said that, I for one am thrilled that he’s the one who was traded instead of Jimmy Graham.

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