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With NFL training camps less than two months away, Jermaine Gresham is still looking for work.
Arguably the best player still on the market, the veteran tight end is working his way back from an offseason procedure on a herniated disc in his back that caused teams to shy away from him in free agency. His back should be better now, to the point a team like the Saints might be willing to sign him.
Per FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo, that might be the case after Gresham visited New Orleans:
Free agent TE Jermaine Gresham visited the Saints today, sources say. Interesting possibility after Jimmy Graham trade. No deal yet, though.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 4, 2015
While the Saints are high on Josh Hill as their No. 1 tight end, they could use another veteran with blocking ability alongside Ben Watson. Watson is also 34-years-old, and Hill has just 20 career catches in 30 games. Gresham would have a great shot at earning the No. 1 role there.
Before free agency began, the former Bengal told SiriusXM Radio that his "heart is in Cincinnati. I want to stay there, but it's up to them." Offensive coordinator Hue Jackson said that there's a place for him here in Cincinnati, and Marvin Lewis said prior to the draft that Gresham was "still an option for them."
However, Cincinnati spent a third-round pick on Rutgers' Tyler Kroft, whom they've talked up so much that Gresham seems to have become a distant memory.
The former 21st-overall pick of the 2010 NFL draft caught 62 passes for 460 yards and five touchdowns in 2014, which will almost certainly be his final year with the team. He averaged 56 receptions with 544 yards per season and 24 combined touchdowns over his five years in Cincinnati.
Hopefully, Gresham is able to find a team and continue his career. He might have been an enigma in Cincinnati, but he's still good enough to have several more productive years in this league.