During the 2025 preseason, the Denver Broncos made the shocking move to trade second-year player Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints for an offer they simply couldn't refuse.
As solid as Vele was for the Broncos during the 2024 season, the team had plenty of depth (or so they thought) at receiver, and the Saints were offering a 4th-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft along with a 2027 7th-round pick. Considering the fact that Vele was a 7th-round pick by the Broncos in 2024, that was an offer they simply couldn't pass up, even with plans to include Vele in their offense.
The Broncos incorporated Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant in the offense a lot more last season, and now have added Jaylen Waddle to the mix.
While the Broncos are set at receiver, Vele's time with the Saints got off to an extremely slow start. But the way he finished last season had Kellen Moore wishing he had a mulligan on the start of the year, and the Saints seem to be very excited about Vele's progression in his second year with the team.
Former Denver Broncos WR Devaughn Vele impressing at Saints OTAs in 2026
One thing Kellen Moore noted yesterday: Something he regrets from last year was not making sure Devaughn Vele was a bigger part of the offense early on in the season.
— Jeff Nowak (@Jeff_Nowak) June 11, 2026
There's lot of mouths to feed in the #Saints offense in 2026, but Vele should still have a big role. pic.twitter.com/4cZSMXqHeo
Just like in his rookie year with Denver, Vele played 13 total games last season with the Saints, including 7 starts. His targets, receptions, yards -- everything -- decreased. Over the course of the last four games he played, however, Vele made some significant progress.
In weeks 12-15, Vele averaged five receptions for 60 yards per game, and extrapolated over a 17-game season, that's over 1,000 yards. You can see why Saints head coach Kellen Moore was upset about not getting Vele more involved earlier in the year.
Despite the potential he has to make a significant impact this season, part of the reason the Broncos traded Vele in the first place is the fact that he's already 28 going on 29 this season. That's extremely uncommon for a player entering his 3rd NFL season, but it doesn't mean he can't contribute at a high level for a very important window of time for that franchise.
Quarterback Tyler Shough is entering his second year with the Saints and showed the type of stuff that has them believing he can be a franchise player moving forward. If he's going to prove himself capable of carrying that mantle, a player like Vele is going to help tremendously.
We saw Vele do that in Bo Nix's rookie season as well when the two were classmates in Denver during the 2024 season. Although he was a pretty underwhelming 7th-round dart throw, Vele made his presence undeniable all throughout the offseason program, and wound up with 41 receptions for 475 yards and some huge plays. He was third on the team in targets that year.
Although the Broncos got an offer they couldn't refuse for a player like Vele, the team undoubtedly missed him last season as injuries piled up at the receiver position.
It will be interesting to follow his progress in 2026 as he enters his second year with the Saints, where he could be poised for a major breakthrough.
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