October 28th 2024.
Nate Adkins was filled with excitement as he ran down the field, knowing he was about to score his second touchdown of the game. The Broncos were deep in Carolina territory in the second quarter, and Adkins, a second-year tight end, found himself open near the right sideline. But to his surprise, rookie quarterback Bo Nix had other plans.
Nix threw the ball down the seam to another tight end, Adam Trautman, who made an incredible one-handed catch in the end zone. This gave the Broncos a 14-7 lead with just under seven minutes left in the first half. Adkins couldn't believe it, saying, "I was wide open and I thought, 'Oh my god, I might get another one.' But then he threw it to Trautman and it was a one-handed catch, it was awesome."
The Broncos were celebrating National Tight Ends Day, and it couldn't have been a better day for them. The tight ends, who had been struggling for the past seven weeks, had their best game of the season, catching a total of seven passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Trautman, in particular, had an outstanding game, with four catches for a career-high of 85 yards. This helped the Broncos secure their fifth win of the season, their best start since 2016.
Coach Sean Payton explained that they didn't specifically plan to get the tight ends more involved in the game, but it just happened to be the way things played out. Trautman's big game started with a 37-yard gain in the first quarter, but he wasn't even the intended target. Payton commented, "Sometimes it's the first read, which would be [Trautman]. Adam did a good job finding that deep window."
Payton also expressed his surprise at Trautman's touchdown catch in the second quarter, saying, "If you would have given me our roster and asked me who I thought would score on that play, he would have been near the bottom." Before this game, the tight ends had only caught a total of 17 passes for 136 yards and no touchdowns. Trautman had only two catches for 32 yards, and Greg Dulcich, who was supposed to be the receiving threat in the middle of the field, had been underperforming and inactive for the last four weeks.
Although the Panthers' defense was not the toughest they will face, Trautman's performance showed the importance of having strong pass-catchers in the tight end position. Trautman himself acknowledged this, saying, "It does a lot, especially when [the tight ends] are blockers. I think if you can mix in the pass game with the run game, it opens up a lot of things. It was huge."
But Trautman wasn't the only one making plays. Adkins, who caught his first career touchdown, also had a great game. He shared that Nix had actually dreamed that Adkins would catch a touchdown that day, and he couldn't wait to talk to him about it. Even Lucas Krull got in on the action with a 15-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
The only mistake the tight ends made was forgetting to wear the t-shirts given to them by the league to honor their position. But Trautman brushed it off, saying, "It was good to have this type of performance on this day." All in all, it was a great day for the Broncos tight ends, and their success on the field showed just how valuable they are to the team.
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