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Listing one free agent from each of the Chargers’ division rivals who could be a fit for them.
The Chargers won’t be aggressive when it comes to signing free agents, as they’re currently $35 million over the projected salary cap.
While they’re cash-strapped, general manager Joe Hortiz will make some moves to have some spendings available to them so they can sign some.
That said, I will list one pending free agent from each team in the NFL that could be a realistic target for L.A.
First up is the AFC West.
Top tight ends hitting free agency this offseason:
Even after last year’s signing of Hayden Hurst, could the Carolina Panthers be in the market for a new tight end?
If so, here are some of the best that free agency has to offer:
The Chargers need to bring in proven blocking tight ends.
The Chargers will retool a few positional groups this offseason, including tight end.
Gerald Everett and Nick Vannett are set to be free agents. Donald Parham and Stone Smartt are still on the roster, but in a new offensive scheme, Greg Roman will likely want his own guys.
An impending free agent who Pro Football Focus thinks could be a fit with Los Angeles is Adam Trautman.
If there’s one thing we know about Jim Harbaugh, he wants to play physical football and run downhill. Blocking tight ends will be a focal point for a Chargers roster that got very little out of the position in 2023, beyond pending free agent Gerald Everett. Trautman is 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds and has earned run-blocking grades above 60.0 in every season of his career.
With the Bolts expected to run the ball heavily, tight ends that can block are imperative in Roman’s offense, which is Trautman’s strength.
Trautman has the size and technique to move defenders and create openings for running backs. While he has primarily been used as a blocker, Trautman has intriguing receiving traits.
Across four seasons with the Saints and Broncos, Trautman has 82 catches for 845 yards and seven catches.
The Chargers aren’t expected to be big spenders in free agency as they’re currently $45 million over the salary cap, but Trautman shouldn’t cost much. PFF is projecting Trautman’s contract to be worth $4.5 million annually.
A block in the back would be a penalty… but a block WITH the back has become Adam Trautman's specialty.
He won an award for a similar block against the Eagles. He broke out another to seal a huge lane for Alvin Kamara on the #Saints' first play against the Vikings. pic.twitter.com/ydb2TyGdIN
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) December 27, 2020
The Broncos have 14 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next month. We rank them here.
NFL teams can begin negotiating with pending free agents from other teams beginning on March 11 ahead of the official start of free agency on March 13. So if the Denver Broncos do not give extensions to their in-house free agents before March 11, those players will be allowed to negotiate with other clubs.
OverTheCap.com lists 16 upcoming in-house free agents for the Broncos, 14 unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents. (It should be noted that wide receiver Michael Bandy was listed as a free agent on our previous list, but OTC now says he is under contract for the 2024 season.)
The most notable free agent for Denver this year is center Lloyd Cushenberry. He will likely draw a big contract, perhaps one the Broncos will not be able to afford. Consequently, the team seems to be preparing for life without Cushenberry in 2024.
Another notable free agent for Denver is safety P.J. Locke. With Caden Sterns coming off a serious injury, the Broncos will be very thin at safety if Locke does not return this season.
Denver linebacker Josey Jewell has been a key starter on defense, but it remains to be seen if the Broncos plan to re-sign him. Denver’s kicker, Wil Lutz, is also set to become a free agent next month, as is No. 1 tight end Adam Trautman.
Here is the full list of the Broncos’ upcoming free agents, ranked 1-16.
Broncos coach Sean Payton has brought 22 former Saints to Denver. Here’s the full list of players, coaches and executives.
Just call them the Denver Saints.
Since taking over as the Denver Broncos’ head coach last year, Sean Payton has hired 22 former New Orleans Saints. Payton, who won a Super Bowl with the Saints in 2009, has brought in 12 coaches (including a strength coach), two executives and eight players (but two of those players joined New Orleans after Payton left).
The most recent addition is new defensive backs coach Jim Leonhard, who spent training camp and preseason with the Saints as a safety in 2013. Several other coaches also played under Payton in New Orleans, including special teams assistant Chris Banjo, offensive line coach Zach Strief and offensive quality control coach Logan Kilgore.
The most notable former Saints players who now play for the Broncos are kicker Wil Lutz and tight end Adam Trautman, who are both scheduled to become free agents if they are not re-signed before March 13.
Here’s a quick list of all 22 ex-Saints who have joined Payton’s Broncos.
All 20 of the former New Orleans Saints coaches and players joining Sean Payton on the Denver Broncos, from Joe Vitt to Wil Lutz:
Sean Payton brought a lot of people with him to the Denver Broncos when he left the New Orleans Saints — and he may not be finished yet. Payton has brought on former Saints assistant coaches like Joe Vitt, Mike Westhoff, and Zach Strief as well as players including Adam Trautman and Wil Lutz. Now he’s making moves in the front office. And recently-fired Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is expected to reunite Payton in an undetermined role, too.
It’s an expansive list. Here’s everyone in Denver we could track down who previously worked for Payton in New Orleans:
The Broncos’ list of players scheduled to become free agents in March includes Lloyd Cushenberry, Josey Jewell, P.J. Locke and Wil Lutz.
The Denver Broncos wrapped up their 2023 season on Sunday afternoon and attention now turns toward the 2024 NFL offseason.
The Broncos will be in a bit of a salary cap mess this offseason (a mess that will become even more complicated if quarterback Russell Wilson is released), but they can find ways to make things work.
Once they sort things out, Denver will have to make decisions on in-house free agents. The Broncos have 18 players scheduled to become free agents in March, 14 of which will be unrestricted free agents. If Denver does not give contract extensions to those UFAs before the new league year begins, those players will be free to sign with any team.
The Broncos also have three restricted free agents that Denver will have the option to “tender,” giving them a right of first refusal to match any offer made to those RFAs (and compensation if an RFA leaves).
The Broncos also have one exclusive rights free agent, a player who has no option but to re-sign with Denver if given an offer from the club.
Here’s a quick look at the Broncos’ full list of players scheduled to become free agents this spring, including UFAs, RFAs and an ERFA.
Russell Wilson throws a 10-yard touchdown pass to Adam Trautman and the Broncos lead the Chargers 24-7!
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Adam Trautman in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Here’s video of the play, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter/X page:
Wide. Open.
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/zQtmNWNoC5
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 11, 2023
At the time of publication, Denver leads Los Angeles 24-7.
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Adam Trautman is not a flashy tight end, but he does what’s asked of him well. “We’re glad we have him,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.
Adam Trautman is not a flashy tight end.
The 26-year-old veteran turned heads with an impressive touchdown catch last week, but he is not typically heavily involved in the passing game. Trautman has 16 receptions for 125 yards and two scores so far this year, modest production through 11 games.
Since the start of preseason, though, Trautman has been listed as the team’s starting tight end. That was a surprise depth chart development at the time, but it wasn’t surprising to those familiar with Sean Payton’s history.
Back in 2020, Payton traded all four of the New Orleans Saints’ remaining draft picks to move up in the third round to draft Trautman out of Dayton. Then, after joining the Broncos this offseason, Payton traded another draft pick to the Saints to acquire Trautman again. Payton has traded five total picks in two trades to land the tight end.
So what does he like so much about Trautman?
“I would say you know exactly what you’re getting,” Payton said earlier this week. “In other words, there are certain things he does well. I think he has a good feel in zone coverage. I think he’s a good blocker. I think he’s smart. We felt with [Greg] Dulcich, and we felt with [Chris] Manhertz that there was a role for each one of these players, and certainly, with Adam. [I] drafted him out of Dayton. We kind of knew exactly what we were getting, and there’s something to be said for that.
“Sometimes when you’re game planning and putting together a plan, what can be frustrating is if you don’t know what you’re getting week-to-week from a player. I was pleased. His pitch count was higher yesterday and not as high a few weeks back. The catch he made was important. He’s a smart player. We’re glad we have him. I’m glad we didn’t have to give up the back end of our draft to get him.”
Trautman has totaled 76 receptions for 766 yards and six touchdowns through four seasons in the NFL. It’s not flashy production, but Trautman consistently does the role asked of him well, and Payton values that.
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What a great play by Broncos tight end Adam Trautman!
In the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson bought time on third and goal before throwing a strike to tight end Adam Trautman.
Trautman went down to his knee and hauled the ball in with a knee down in bounds, the equivalent of two feet for a sideline catch. The tight end also got his buttocks down in bounds.
The play was initially ruled an incomplete pass, but after review, officials awarded Trautman and Denver’s offense a touchdown. It was hard to blame officials for not spotting the catch in real time — Trautman didn’t even think he caught his body down in bounds.
“I had no idea,” Trautman said after the game. “Honestly, I thought my knee was out. I mean, I can’t really see — I’m focusing on the ball — but then I saw Coach Payton put his hands up for a touchdown. I guess I missed the first replay on the
board, but I saw the second one and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m in!’ So yeah, it was awesome.”
Broncos coach Sean Payton quickly challenged the initial no-catch ruling, which proved to be a smart decision.
“I kind of saw it, and then the replay comes, and every once in a while, it was like that people’s court, where everyone felt really good about it,” Payton said after the game. “And yet, there’s always that, ‘Is it clear?’ I felt — the whole knee thing is important. That was — I don’t want to say it was easier, but it was easier, quicker to throw the flag. There was not a lot of gray area there and a lot to gain with it.”
That knee getting down in bounds was key, as Wilson explained after an eventual 29-12 victory.
“I thought Trautman did a tremendous job of getting his knee down,” Wilson said. “When you get a knee down, it’s considered two feet. Just a heck of a catch. As soon as I threw it, I knew he was going to catch it. We just believed that was going to be a touchdown. Tremendous, tremendous play by him and a great effort by the offensive line giving me enough time.”
Trautman is typically not heavily involved in the passing game — he now has 16 receptions 125 yards and two touchdowns this season. He made the most of his opportunity on Sunday, though, and many fans and pundits likened it to wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s impressive catches this season.
