As the Denver Broncos and the rest of the NFL get set to cut rosters down from 90 players to 53 in the coming days, the team has struck a trade nobody (really) saw coming.
The Broncos have traded wide receiver Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a couple of future draft picks. The fact that Vele was traded wasn't overly shocking considering it's been thrown around as a possibility, but getting the haul of picks the Broncos got for him was a shocker.
The Broncos traded Vele for a 2026 4th-round pick and a 2027 7th-round pick, adding to their future war chest
Broncos make fascinating trade sending Devaughn Vele to Sean Payton's old team
Fittingly, Sean Payton has compared Vele in the past to one of his best receivers during his time with the New Orleans Saints, Marques Colston. Vele proved himself early on as a rookie, having a huge training camp as a rookie last year and impressing enough to make the final 53-man roster.
And then he did more than that.
Vele caught 41 passes last season with three touchdowns, 26 of his receptions going for first downs. He struggled with drops at times, but there were growing pains the Broncos were willing to live with because he was doing so well as a big slot player.
But as strong as Vele's rookie season was for the Broncos, the team has had other young receivers stepping up this offseason while he's sort of struggled with an injury. Both Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant had awesome offseasons for the Broncos, making Vele expendable. Not only those guys, but Trent Sherfield has been impressive during training camp and preseason action as well.
Vele is only a second-year player, but he's also 27 going on 28 this year (birthday in December). He is obviously much older than most other second-year players, making this trade for the Broncos an absolute no-brainer.
To get a 4th-round pick for Vele would have been outstanding, but the Saints sweetening the pot with a 7th-round lottery ticket in the 2027 NFL Draft? You never know when those are going to come in handy.
This is yet another example of the prowess of Broncos general manager George Paton, who had a similarly wild trade a few years back when he sent Trinity Benson to the Lions for a 5th- and 7th. The Broncos getting what they did for Vele was too good to pass up, so they didn't.
Now, we'll see if they are going to roll with five receivers or if they'll add someone else before the start of the season. It's likely they've got their solidified top five guys as rosters are cut down.