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Adam Trautman shared a position room with Jared Cook and Josh Hill last season, two veterans who have combined to play more than 300 games and catch more than 600 passes in their NFL careers.

That experience was indispensable for the then-New Orleans Saints rookie. He latched on to the two and pulled everything he could from their diverse skill sets.

“I’m super happy I got drafted into the situation I did,” Trautman said. “Not only because of the organization, but because of that; having two guys who have played this position for so long and done it at a high level.

“It was super beneficial for me and they taught me lessons that I’ll carry on throughout not only this season, but throughout my whole career.”

And now, with nobody in front of him, he is hoping the lessons learned allow him to fully take off in Year 2 and beyond.

The Saints showed their confidence in what they believe Trautman can be this offseason when they released both Cook and Hill from their contracts, entrusting their tight end group to Trautman and his considerable upside.



Trautman had a considerable learning curve entering the pandemic-altered 2020 season, especially when considering he was coming from a Dayton program that competed at the FCS level. The Saints brought him along slowly, leaning on Cook and Hill in the early going while Trautman played just 15 offensive snaps the first two weeks.

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Rugby Saint II

Colonel Trautman passed the eye test last year for me. Apparently Payton saw the same thing and is giving him the opportunity to showcase his skills. He has huge upside and Payton is going to let the fish fly.