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The Denver Broncos went out of their way to reunite head coach Sean Payton with tight end Adam Trautman before the 2023 season, when they obtained him via a trade with the New Orleans Saints.
Trautman’s best days with the Broncos could still be on the horizon after he had 22 receptions for 204 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2023. The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner singled out Trautman in his position-by-position re-rankings of 2020 NFL draft picks.
Trautman was a third-round pick (No. 105) in 2020 by the Saints when Payton was head coach and ranked No. 2 behind Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet, who was selected in the second round (No. 43 overall).
“Five tight ends went in the top 105 picks in 2020,” Baumgardner wrote. “If anyone was slept on a bit, it might’ve been Trautman. A small-school player at Dayton, Trautman is a terrific all-around athlete (6.78-second three cone, 4.27 short shuttle) who transitioned from WR to TE in college. He’s back with Sean Payton in Denver now — keep an eye on this one moving forward.”
Trautman Might Have Best Seasons Still Ahead
Trautman, 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds, starred in college at Dayton, an FCS school.
Trautman actually switched positions from quarterback to tight end in college — not wide receiver to tight end. He capped his career by being named Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 with 70 receptions for 916 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was also named an Associated Press FCS All-American.
“Right now, Trautman is a big, pass-catching tight end who needs to prove he can transition from his level of competition and handle bigger, more physical coverage dogging him around the field,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “He has a solid athletic profile, but his technique as a blocker will need to be upgraded as teams will likely expect him to play in-line due to his size. He’s a talented pass-catcher with Day 3 potential, and good upside to work with.”
Trautman was solid but not spectacular in a supporting role in three seasons with the Saints. His best season in New Orleans was in 2021 with 27 receptions for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Trautman played in every game during the regular season for the first time in Denver in 2023, making 12 starts, and signed a 2-year, $7.5 million contract in March 2024.
Broncos Have Fallen on Hard Times at Tight End
It’s been a long time since the Broncos have had anyone on the roster pass 1,000 receiving yards in a single season, with Courtland Sutton the last to do it in 2019.
As far as an elite tight end … it’s been even longer.
Denver hasn’t had a tight end make the Pro Bowl since Julius Thomas made it in back-to-back seasons in 2013 and 2014, when he had 1,277 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns across two seasons despite missing five games.
The Broncos haven’t had an NFL All-Pro tight end since 1998, when Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe was helping lead the team to back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Sharpe earned NFL All-Pro honors four times in the 1990s with the Broncos, including three consecutive nods from 1996 to 1998. He was also a seven-time Pro Bowl selection in Denver.
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