Dayton alum Trautman catches fourth career touchdown pass

“There’s not a single player in this league like (Hill),” Trautman told reporters. “The things he can do, the things the defense has to worry about — they have to game plan something entirely different when he lines up at quarterback. And when he’s on the field, we can do so many things with him; he’s such a dynamic player. Today was probably the most involved he’s been, and you see what happens when he is.”

Of the play, Hill said, “When you throw one pass it works out well. That was a combination of Trautman recognizing the right coverage and running the right route. I was expecting a different coverage than we got. I suspect that he was too. He’s a smart football player and ran it perfectly. The rest is history.”

Trautman had one other catch, for 10 yards, in a 39-32 victory at the Caesars Superdome.

This is Trautman’s third season in the NFL. The Saints drafted him in the third round in 2020. He had 15 catches for 171 yards and one touchdown as a rookie and 27 receptions for 263 yards and two touchdowns last season. Through five games this season, he has six catches for 78 yards and one score.

Trautman finished his college career in 2019 as UD’s all-time leading receiver (178 catches, 2,295 yards, 31 touchdowns). He was named the Pioneer Football League’s Offensive Player of the Year and was the first tight end to win the award.