Don’t sleep on newly acquired tight end Adam Trautman

The Denver Broncos added six players during the 2023 NFL Draft. I know, some may be saying, “But Cecil, they only had five picks!” That’s correct, the Broncos did select five players coming out of college.

However, they added a sixth player – a veteran – that head coach Sean Payton knows quite well. The Broncos traded a sixth-round pick to the New Orleans Saints (which became wide receiver A.T. Perry) for 2020 third-round pick tight end Adam Trautman and a seventh-round pick (which became center/guard Alex Forsyth).

This move has gone under the radar for many in the fan base, and there’s many in the media that think this is just “no big deal” on Day 3. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I’m here to tell you why this could potentially be a great move for Payton and the Broncos.

Don’t sleep on the potential of TE Adam Trautman in Denver. In this article, I will explain why.

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Four Picks

Payton had a desire to move up – way up – for Trautman in the 2020 NFL draft. The Saints traded picks Nos. 130, 169, 203 and 244 to the Vikings for pick No. 105. Giving up four picks for a small school tight end was a bold move, but it’s one Payton and Saints’ GM Mickey Loomis wanted to do.

After standing out at the NFL combine with a 95th percentile agility score and an 81st percentile catch radius, Payton must’ve felt like Trautman was the type of player to build around. I did not disagree with the move, and I felt the future was bright for Trautman based on his landing spot. The dirty secret in the NFL is that it’s all about “fit” and Trautman fits what Payton wants to do.

Giving up that draft capital in 2020 and giving up more draft capital to get him again in 2023, means Payton is going to have a vested interest in making Trautman work. Trautman has the natural talent to be a solid starter in this league, and Payton is now more motivated to prove that bringing “his guy” to the Mile High City was the right move.

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Blocking Better

I had Trautman in my “sleeper” category at the tight end position in 2020. As a small school prospect, Trautman had more to prove than other players from larger schools. What made him a standout player for me was his receiving ability. I thought with pro coaching – especially from Payton in New Orleans – Trautman had Pro Bowl upside.

As a rookie in 2020, he was not going to start over veteran TE Jared Cook. However, many in football felt that Trautman could begin to flourish in 2021 or 2022. That didn’t necessarily happen either season. It takes about three years for tight ends to hit their stride in the pros, and a small school player has more of a leap than someone who comes from a big school. Trautman was showing some flashes in the preseason and the regular season, but one thing kept him from doing more as a receiver: he was becoming a good blocker.

We’ve seen tight ends do this before. Years ago, players like TE Daniel Graham or TE Marcedes Lewis came into the league as receiving threats. As their careers went on, their respective teams turned them into strong blockers. Both Graham and Lewis were incredibly gifted as receivers, but neither really produced at a high level because they were so good as blockers. I don’t think Trautman is the receiver Graham and Lewis were, but his blocking ability made him an asset for the Saints – it just meant he didn’t get many targets.

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Bring it Back?

The question remains; can Trautman become the receiving threat many – especially Payton – thought he could be coming out of Dayton? In his final collegiate season, Trautman had 916 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 games as a redshirt senior. Yes, that was against small-school defenders and that was a major concern for Trautman coming out of college.

However, during the week of practice for the 2020 Reese’s Senior Bowl, I watched as Trautman showed that he could compete against the best seniors in the nation from major programs and conferences. He did well in blocking drills – better than I expected – but it was his ability to work all three levels of the field as a receiver that impressed me the most.

Trautman was fast at Dayton, but against top competition he had to win with guile. He’s not fast enough to be considered a ‘seam ripper’ but he’s a smooth athlete who doesn’t have to slow down much when he changes direction sharply. As a former quarterback, Trautman knows how to find the soft spot in a zone, and he does a good job of squaring his shoulders to the line of scrimmage to create the biggest possible target. That receiving abilty has not gone away – the Saints just stopped using him as a receiver after Payton left.

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Sorry Greg

I’m not going to say Payton doesn’t like second-year pro Greg Dulcich. That seems too personal to say. However, I’d register a guess that Payton is less impressed with Dulcich than Broncos fans are – and for good reason. A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Dulcich was an impressive receiving tight end at UCLA. In his first pro season, Dulcich did flash as a receiver when he was available to play.

Dulcich spent most of the offseason dealing with a hamstring injury that also lingered in the regular season. Availability is an ability, and Dulcich may not have the physical makeup to stay healthy in the pros. He’s got a slight build in his lower body, and lower-body injuries may bother him as his pro career continues.
Add in the fact that Dulcich is not much of a blocker, and you can see how Payton would want an upgrade. At the very least, Payton wants options at the tight end position in case Dulcich is hurt again this season.

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Summary

Don’t sleep on Trautman in 2023. We should see a heated competition for the starting tight end job in training camp. With Dulcich not being a three-down player and his propensity to get hurt, I think Trautman might win that job going away.

On a team that will run the ball early and often, Trautman could thrive because he doesn’t need to come off the field. He may not be the receiving weapon that Dulcich is, but Trautman can move the chains regularly. It won’t take long for QB Russell Wilson to make him a favorite when he drops back to pass.

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