Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton does not like to talk about injuries, to put it lightly. Payton has always kept injuries as under wraps as possible, whether he was the head coach of the Saints or the head coach of the Broncos. He's not going to give a ton of information about injuries beyond what is mandated by the NFL, so when reporters ask him too many questions, you might get some awkward responses.
A notable absence for the entirety of Broncos mandatory minicamp was wide receiver Devaughn Vele, who had started to really build some serious hype after the team's OTA sessions, especially the ones in which media was able to observe practice.
Vele is a favorite of head coach Sean Payton who had an outstanding rookie year, especially when you grade on the curve that he was a 7th-round pick in last year's draft and a total afterthought for just about every NFL Draft expert out there.
We still do not know what held Vele out of practice, but Payton finally offered some insight into his absence at the conclusion of minicamp.
Sean Payton reveals Devaughn Vele dealing with an injury; WR will be back for training camp
"He’s going to be full-go start of training camp. Everything is good."
- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
When Payton was pressed a bit more after that, he declined to offer any further information. The unfortunate thing for Vele is that he was putting together some really impressive practices and the hype train got derailed at mandatory minicamp. Hopefully, it won't derail him from participating in the Bo Nix throwing sessions that the young quarterback is organizing during the team's five weeks of down time.
The good news is, Vele will be a "full go" for the start of Broncos training camp in mid-July. Whatever it is that he's dealing with isn't an issue that's going to cost him a chance to go out there and really earn a prominent role during the regular season, which it sounded like he was well on his way to doing.
Vele had 41 catches as a rookie, and 26 of them went for first downs. He had some maddening drops and battled an injury after Week 1, but the overall takeaways from Vele's rookie season in Denver were positive. He is, however, a player who can't really afford many setbacks. Other receivers on Denver's depth chart have taken advantage of their reps this offseason, namely Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant.
The Broncos are also going to be incorporating Evan Engram into the mix this season, which will take targets away from some of the receivers over the course of the year.
Vele doesn't have anything to worry about, but any injuries that could creep up and bite him after the start of training camp are unwelcome at this point.
Just like all of the other young receivers, Vele taking that next step in his overall game would be massive news for this Denver Broncos offense. Bo Nix has already developed a strong chemistry with him, so having him out there getting as many reps as possible during camp will be essential for his growth.