The Denver Broncos traded Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday in a move where the team clearly got a lot younger. One obvious way they got younger is now that Vele is gone, both Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant are going to be showcased more in the room.
Both young players have had themselves nice offseasons and just moved up a tick on the team's depth chart for 2025 and beyond. Believe it or not, Troy Franklin is still just 22 years old. Franklin was a rare 21-year-old rookie in the NFL.
And yeah, while his rookie season was largely a disappointment, he made a ton of strides this offseason and is now in line to be a third option at the position. Rookie receiver Pat Bryant is 22 years old himself. When you think about it, the Denver Broncos are continuing to embrace their youth movement.
Devaughn Vele trade gets the Denver Broncos a bit younger on the offensive side of the ball
There have been countless young and younger players the Broncos have brought along in recent years. All of Bo Nix, RJ Harvey, JK Dobbins, Quinn Meinerz, Marvin Mims Jr, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant are 26 years old or younger.
This is the way to sustain success in the NFL, and while Devaughn Vele was a decent player, he didn't have a clear role on the Denver Broncos anymore, and it's clear that Denver would rather get those young guys in there.
Another example of this was back in 2023 when the Broncos had a veteran EDGE room featuring Frank Clark and Randy Gregory, but in time, they ended up deferring to Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto, two much younger players.
And the rest is history. Surely, the Broncos hope that by now showcasing Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant more, those two young players will come into their own and hit a huge ceiling with the team. Trading Devaughn Vele further embraces Denver's youth movement.