Denver added to its tight end room Saturday, but not by drafting a player.
Instead, the Broncos traded a sixth-round pick (No. 195 overall) to New Orleans for tight end Adam Trautman and a seventh-round pick (No. 257 overall).
Trautman was originally a third-round pick of the Saints in the 2020 draft and played his first two years in the NFL under now-Broncos head coach Sean Payton. Over his first three seasons, he has 60 catches (81 targets) for 641 yards and four TDs. In 2022, he finished with 18 catches for 207 and a score.
“We (compared) him to a handful of tight ends we were (considering) in this draft,” Payton said. “We felt this was one of the needs for us coming in. That was just as exciting as any part of yesterday or today.”
In Denver, Trautman joins a room that’s coached by former Saints assistant Declan Doyle and came into the weekend short on bodies. The Broncos also have free agent signee Chris Manhertz, second-year man Greg Dulcich and 2020 fourth-round pick Albert Okwuegbunam. They could also use versatile players like fullback Michael Burton and wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey in certain situations, but Trautman’s addition fortifies the Broncos’ numbers at the position.
New DB Skinner on the mend: Had Boise State safety JL Skinner not suffered a torn pectoral muscle just before the Combine, he likely would not have been available for the Broncos to select in the sixth round (No. 183 overall).
“I don’t really consider it a drop, I consider it me being placed in the right hands,” Skinner said of his draft position. “Coming to the Broncos, they’re great hands for me and I’m excited to get up there.”
The 6-foot-4, 209-pounder wasn’t able to work out for teams in the pre-draft process, but he said his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule.
“I’m running and doing everything right now, lifting and doing all that stuff,” Skinner said. “Not too far out. I’m about a month out from my full expected recovery to be fully cleared.”
Denver open to bringing back Jackson: Broncos general manager George Paton said talks are “ongoing” about potentially bringing back veteran safety Kareem Jackson despite drafting Skinner.
“We are speaking to Kareem and his agent,” Paton said. “We are open (to bringing him back).”
Jackson, 35, provided stability at the safety spot for Denver over the past four seasons, starting in 61 games. In 2022, Jackson started in all 17 games while recording 94 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles.
Broncos add C Forsyth: Denver finished its 2023 draft by selecting Oregon center Alex Forsyth in the seventh round (No. 257 overall). Forsyth, 24, played six years of college football for the Ducks and started at center the past three.
Forsyth said playing under multiple coaching staffs in his college career will be a benefit at the NFL level.
“My first couple years we were mostly a zone blocking scheme and I think that really helped me expand my football palette and the arsenal I have in terms of techniques,” he said. “This past year we were predominantly a counter and power team. About 70% of our runs were counter or power. A lot of play-action last year and some under center stuff, true power I-formation, all that stuff was really valuable to me.”
UDFA latest: As soon as the draft ends, every team in the NFL scrambles to get its undrafted free agent class put together. Paton said Saturday that Denver had a player it was going to sign get drafted in the final few picks and that overall their group this year would end up “in the teens.”
Confirmations so far: CB Art Green, Houston; DL Thomas Incoom, Central Michigan; OL Alex Palczewski, Illinois; OL Henry Byrd, Princeton; S Devon Matthews, Indiana; RB Emanuel Wilson, Fort Valley State; TE Nate Adkins, South Carolina; WR Dallas Daniels, Jackson State; TE Kris Leach, Kent State; WR Taylor Grimes, Incarnate Word; LB Seth Benson, Iowa; DT PJ Mustipher, Penn State.
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