The Denver Broncos, having already come to terms to bring back inside linebacker Justin Strnad on Sunday, have re-signed another in-house free agent, coming to terms on a three-year deal with tight end Adam Trautman, according to Broncos 9News insider Mike Klis.
This is a bit of a surprising move for the Broncos, who have a need for much more output out of the tight end position. After the down year that free-agent acquisition Evan Engram had last year, many thought the team would look outside the organization for a strong combination of a blocker and receiver in the passing game. Tampa Bay Buccaneers free agent Cade Otton, for example, could be a perfect fit.
The re-signing of Trautman doesn’t mean that a signing like that is off the table, but it makes it much more unlikely. So, one has to ask, what is this team’s infatuation with Trautman?
Broncos bringing back Adam Trautman raises some questions
There is something to be said for the Broncos wanting to keep as much of this roster together as possible. That was evident when the team signed Courtland Sutton, Nik Bonitto, Zach Allen, Wil Lutz, Luke Wattenberg and Malcolm Roach to contract extensions last season. They’ve already agreed to new deals with Strnad and Alex Palczewski this offseason.
But you don’t need to bring everyone back.
Head coach Sean Payton has two players he seems to have an undying love for. One is Lil’Jordan Humphrey, the other is Trautman. It’s a mystery as to how either of those players got to that level with him because their on-field production has often been quite minimal.
All due respect to Klis, but this assertion that Trautman is “one of the best pure blocking TEs in the game” is just not true. He’s average at best.
The Broncos could have waited to make this deal happen and at least shopped around in free agency to get an idea of what some of these tight ends are going to go for. Instead, at least for now, they have chosen to stick with the status quo.
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It’s not a “sky is falling” kind of move, but it is certainly a questionable one. The Broncos need to revamp their tight end room and unless they’re going to do something drastic, like cut Engram, they don’t appear set to make a big move at the position in free agency.
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