The 2021 Saints season has been difficult to predict, but it's not particularly confusing when it comes to who's stood out above expectations and who has not.
In his weekly appearance on SportsTalk, Deuce McAllister and Bobby Hebert weighed in on exactly that subject -- agreeing on both ends.
The most pleasant surprise: Rookie cornerback Paulson Adebo.
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- Hebert: "He don’t look like no rookie out there. I think they’re picking on him. He’s accepting the challenge."
- McAllister: "Adebo has probably exceeded some of the expectations as far as some of the things that he’s been able to do. You look at the Carolina game. don’t want to say they they exclusively came after him, but I just didn’t like the DJ Moore matchup. ... I just felt like that was one that he was losing. They weren’t getting him any help and we didn’t have an answer for that. But outside of that he has been really, really good."
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Adebo was thrust in the fire early and often with injuries and availability issues at the position. With recently acquired Bradley Roby suspended for Week 1 and Ken Crawley on injured reserve, Adebo started across from Marshon Lattimore and left the field with his first interception of Aaron Rodgers. Lattimore was hurt and missed Week 2, forcing more heavy involvement against the Panthers in his second career game. With Lattimore back and Roby available in Week 3, the rookie still netted 72% of the snaps on defense, while Roby's role was limited.
The most disappointing: Second-year tight end Adam Trautman.
- Hebert: “In training camp I’m thinking ‘man, I think they’re gonna feature Trautman at tight end.’ It’s a great opportunity for him.' So I said ‘scoop him up in fantasy.’
"Now I’m thinking … ‘what are you talking about?’ "
- McAllister: "Adam has to probably give you a little bit more. He’s too talented of a tight end not to be more involved. But when you look at it overall, he’s probably done as well as you could expect with some of the things that he’s being asked to do.”
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Despite coming into the season with significant hype and the expectation of an expanded role on the offensive side of the ball, the second-year man out of Dayton has been minimally involved in the passing game, to say the least.
That's been particularly true in the past two weeks. Thus far Trautman has been limited to just 3 catches on 7 targets, all but one of which came in the season-opening win against the Green Bay Packers. He didn't log a target in Week 2, and had a missed connection on his lone target against the Patriots.
Trautman was expected to step into an offensive void with the departure of Jared Cook, but it's been Juwan Johnson or nothing with the opportunities on the table. The converted wide receiver caught a pair of touchdowns in the opener, though he's also been minimally involved the last two weeks. That's also likely a partial product of a subdued passing attack that's averaging well below 150 yards per game despite a 2-1 record.
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"We’re a little spoiled right here with stud tight ends," Hebert said. "We would expect [3 catches] maybe in one half.”
As McAllister points out, Trautman's role on offense isn't limited to the passes he's catching -- as he's often tasked with picking up the blocking slack following the departure of Josh Hill in the offseason and an injury to Nick Vannett. With the offensive line struggling through injuries and inconsistency, the need for an extra blocker could be playing into his limited production early in the season.
Trautman and the rest of the Saints offense will hope to get back on track when they host the New York Giants in Week 4, the first game played in the Caesars Superdome this season.
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