Former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham visited the Saints on Wednesday, according to a report by Fox Sports 1.
Gresham, a fifth-year veteran, is coming off of a season where he caught 62 passes for 460 yards and five touchdowns, but he had surgery to repair a herniated disc in March.
An experienced pass-catching tight end, Gresham has never caught fewer than 46 passes, 458 yards or four touchdowns in a season, all numbers he posted in 2013.
In five seasons with the Bengals, the Oklahoma product has averaged 56 catches, 544 yards and just under five touchdowns per year.
Adding Gresham would present an intriguing option as the Saints look for ways to replace the production of Jimmy Graham. New Orleans likes Josh Hill and veteran Ben Watson, but the Saints have a pair of undrafted free agents competing behind those two in Harold Spears and Jack Tabb, along with Orson Charles, another former Bengal who spent part of last season on the Bengals’ practice squad.
After the Saints held their rookie minicamp, New Orleans coach Sean Payton said the team didn’t necessarily need to add a veteran presence at the position, but he also didn’t rule out the possibility of combing the free agent market.
“It’s a good question, I was curious to see how these young guys were doing but that would not be something we would look at right now and say ok, after the dust has settled, we have to get a tight end,” Payton said. “We’ll pay attention to that position and yet, the guys who are training right now we feel really good about.”