The Denver Broncos are set to begin training camp in one week, and it's already worth wondering if the team is planning on putting their trust and faith in the wrong guys on either side of the ball.
Of course, there's no sense in being negative for the sake of it, but it's also fair to look critically at the personnel groupings of the past couple of years under head coach Sean Payton. Has he been putting the best possible personnel on the field at all times? Has he been putting guys in positions to succeed?
Some prime examples would be Marvin Mims and Lil'Jordan Humphrey at wide receiver last year. Humphrey was on the practice squad to open the season and finished second on the team at receiver in overall snaps played (546). Mims has been an All-Pro return specialist two years in a row, yet averaged 1.7 targets per game from Weeks 1-9 last season before the team finally put him in good positions to succeed, and he averaged 4.6 targets per game from Weeks 10-18.
Add in the fact that the team has been somewhat spinning its wheels with guys like Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, Lucas Krull, and others, and it's fair to wonder if they're trusting the wrong guys to perform out there.
Don't even get me started on the defensive personnel in 2023...
Broncos already putting too much faith in 2nd-year receiver Devaughn Vele for 2025?
Devaughn Vele looks like he’ll be a pillar player at WR alongside Courtland Sutton. Noticeably more muscle mass to him this offseason compared to last year. pic.twitter.com/XI8z0xyX7E
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) June 6, 2025
When you look at the Broncos as they are currently constructed at wide receiver, you can't help but be equal parts excited and anxious. On the one hand, the Broncos have a lot of intriguing young guys at receiver who have plenty of upside.
On the other hand, you have a lot of intriguing young guys who have plenty of upside.
No, that's not a misprint, because having guys with upside means you may never see the upside. There's talent out there in the form of Marvin Mims, Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, and rookie Pat Bryant. But when you have so many guys who need to build confidence through demonstrated ability, as Sean Payton loves to say, you have a lot of guys who are going to be getting inconsistent reps with the top unit.
And Broncos Country is split on Devaughn Vele, in particular. The 7th-round pick out of Utah from the 2024 NFL Draft was impressive as a rookie, showing off his strong hands and big-play ability in different ways. Vele made some clutch catches for the Broncos but also had some rough drops and injury issues creep up.
He missed mandatory minicamp with an undisclosed leg injury and is expected to be a full participant in training camp. It almost feels like a foregone conclusion that he's one of Payton's guys, and that he's going to be getting reps "no matter what".
Again, that's an assumption at this point, and maybe Vele will come through in a big way. He was 3rd on the team among receivers last year in total snaps played but are his snaps going to come at the expense of guys like Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant? Are we going to be having conversations early in the season about how those guys should be playing more and Vele playing less?
It seems clear that Vele has worked his way into the circle of trust. We'll be able to see early on if the Broncos can manage all of these young guys at once or if someone like Vele is dominating the snap count.