Adam Trautman

Trautman followed head coach Sean Payton from New Orleans to Denver, and after starting 12 games with the Saints in 2022, the 6-foot-5 tight end made 12 starts for the Broncos in 2023. Most of Trautman’s value comes from his blocking ability, as his three touchdowns last season marked a career high and the highest yardage total of his four-year career is a modest 263 from 2021. Oft-injured 2022 third-round draft pick Greg Dulcich has a far higher ceiling than Trautman as a pass catcher, and unheralded third-stringer Lukas Krull flashed some promise down the stretch in 2023, but Trautman’s probably the favorite to lead all of Denver’s tight ends in snaps once again. His track record suggests that playing time won’t lead to meaningful production, though.

The Broncos acquired Trautman in a draft-day trade with the Saints this offseason, reuniting the tight end with his former head coach Sean Payton. The 2020 third-rounder never really took off as the New Orleans top option at tight end, losing his starting job to Juwan Johnson in 2022. In his first season in Denver, Trautman will likely serve in a depth role behind starter Greg Dulcich, with Albert Okwuegbunam and Chris Manhertz also in the mix. The 26-year-old may not see steady targets in an offense flush with pass catchers, but a change of scenery could help Trautman take a step forward in a familiar system.

Trautman was just starting to come into his own in the middle of his second season when a sprained MCL stunted his momentum. In his last game before the injury, he racked up a career- high 58 yards and a touchdown. That was also the fifth time in a six-game span that Trautman exceeded 30 yards. In 22 appearances outside that stretch, he has topped 30 yards twice. The Saints’ 2020 third-round pick is healthy and ready to reprise his role atop the depth chart this season, though he could continue to lose some red-zone looks to converted wide receiver Juwan Johnson. The 6-5 Trautman and the 6-4 Johnson each had seven red-zone targets last season, and Johnson had four receiving touchdowns to Trautman’s two. Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill is also expected to play most of his snaps at tight end this season after largely working at quarterback throughout his five-year career, which could further cut into Trautman’s use near the goal line.

The Saints picked Trautman at No. 105 overall in the 2020 draft, overlooking a disappointing 40 time (4.80) on the heels of a highly productive college career (2,295 yards, 31 TDs) at FCS Dayton. The small-school product then worked behind Jared Cook most of his rookie season, logging 393 offensive snaps and 139 routes run in 16 games. Although he was targeted on only 11.5 percent of those routes, Trautman did catch 15 of the 16 passes and averaged 7.8 YAC. With Cook now off to Los Angeles and replaced by only Nick Vannett (75 receptions in 70 NFL games), there's a clear opportunity for Trautman to emerge as the Saints' top tight end, which in turn could make him the third or fourth option in the passing game. Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara will obviously be the priorities, but there's nobody else on the roster who clearly commands targets, and Thomas is expected to miss the early part of the season. Unfortunately, Trautman's status for Week 1 has also come into question, after he suffered a foot injury in the second game of the preseason. He'd also been losing some work to converted wideout Juwan Johnson before the injury, perhaps hinting at a committee approach to tight end in New Orleans.

The tight end position in New Orleans has largely been a patchwork affair since Jimmy Graham left town, but stability at the position could soon come in the form of third-round rookie Trautman. A big-bodied and athletic option in the receiving game, Trautman played four seasons at Dayton and earned Pioneer League Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2019 thanks to a 70-916-14 receiving line. He may not see much playing time in his first year, but with Josh Hill a minimal contributor on offense and the aging Jared Cook in the final year of his contract, Trautman is poised for a starting role sooner rather than later.