4 New Orleans Saints on the rise heading into 2022 season

3. Adam Trautman

People might laugh at the notion of Adam Trautman being ‘on the rise’ but hear me out. Trautman’s rookie season saw him buried on the depth chart behind Jared Cook and Josh Hill so it was hard for him to make much of a splash.

In year two, the Dayton product was TE1 on the depth chart and after a miserable first half of the season, he started to show the potential that made him a third-round pick in 2020. He finished the season with 27 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs for him (though it’s only been two years, so keep that in mind).

If Trautman doesn’t show any flashes of potential in 2022, he won’t be the starting tight end of the Saints moving forward so that makes this year majorly important for him. Juwan Johnson and Nick Vannett should both be back this season but Trautman ended up having the best numbers of the three.

If New Orleans adds another tight end this offseason, it’ll put even more pressure on Trautman to perform well. It’s now or never for Trautman so he’s definitely someone who is on the rise, or should be anyway.