Bears' Graham hits back at critics: 'I'm still fast'

The Chicago Bears signing Jimmy Graham to a two-year deal worth a reported $16 million was among the most widely panned moves during the early stages of free agency, but the tight end is confident he still has plenty left in the tank.

"I'm still fast. ... I still have the ability to make big plays," Graham said, according to ESPN's Jeff Dickerson.

It was expected that Graham would find it difficult to get top money on the open market after two disappointing years with the Green Bay Packers. He had 636 yards and two touchdowns in 2018 and 447 yards and three scores last year.

However, the Bears guaranteed the 33-year-old $9 million and included a no-trade clause in his contract.

While few are expecting Graham to recapture his Pro Bowl form in Chicago, the tight end says he's healthier than he's been in years.

"I know what player I am and I know what I can do," he explained. "I think I was able to show a little bit of that in the playoffs with some of the opportunities I was given. And after being 10 years in, I've only missed six games. That's coming off of, at times, all kinds of injuries ... at times I've kind of been on ice the last two years, so my knee right now is the best it's felt in four or five years.

"This is the best that I've ran, this is the fastest I've been in the last four or five years. I'm going to get back to being me. I'm going to get back to making big plays and scoring touchdowns because I think I'm somewhere in the top of scoring touchdowns and I want to continue that. I want to continue climbing that list and get to where I'm supposed to be."

J.P. Holtz's 91 yards led all Bears tight ends last season, while Trey Burton - who had 569 yards in 2018 - missed eight games and only had 14 catches.