Saints Roster: 3 breakout candidates for 2022 season
The 2022 New Orleans Saints are giving fans a sense of uncontrollable excitement, and the emergence of the three players on my list will surely make everyone feel the same way.
The New Orleans Saints as a whole should be expected to breakout in 2022, but for the article’s sake, I’ll narrow my list down to three. There are so many storylines surrounding the Saints in 2022, and some of the biggest ones are the question marks surrounding the talent that hasn’t completely developed yet.
Several players can instantly pop into your mind following that statement, and that’s what the primary focal point of this article will showcase. NOLA has all the big names, but it will be up to the three people I feature in this article to help tie the knot as one.
Without further ado, here’s a look at the three biggest breakout candidates for the New Orleans Saints in 2022.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference
3. Adam Trautman
Adam Trautman is one of those guys that we’ve been waiting to see take the next step as the clear-cut TE1 for the Saints, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Trautman, however, will get his best opportunity yet in 2022 as he is listed as the primary tight end on the depth chart and should see the bulk of the workload at the position.
Trautman, who’s entering his third NFL season, is in a big boom or bust type of season for the Saints. He showed flashes of stability in his rookie season, but an abysmal 2021 season has fans questioning if he’s really the guy moving forward.
The initial attraction to Trautman came from the high praise of former tight end coach Dan Campbell, who had nothing but high praise for the Dayton product. Trautman, without Campbell, in 2021 certainly struggled and will be looking to get back on track this season.
Trautman is a very polished blocker, but he needs to broaden his range to the receiving unit a bit more. He has been taking his offseason training very seriously this year and even attended ‘Tight End U’, which is an annual event founded by Travis Kelce and George Kittle that allows tight ends across the NFL to attend and perfect their craft with one another.
If Trautman really invested himself into learning from the other star tight ends across the league during the event, I’m excited to see what he brings to the tight end position for the Saints in 2022.
Adam Trautman needs a big season for the Saints in 2022, and he’s a clear-cut candidate to turn things around.