Broncos trade Devaughn Vele to Saints for NFL draft picks

One of the Broncos’ breakout receivers in 2024 is heading elsewhere just a couple of weeks before the start of their season.

On Wednesday, the Broncos announced they’d traded second-year receiver Devaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick. It brings an abrupt end to the 27-year-old Vele’s tenure in Denver, as the Broncos get back two pieces of draft capital for their seventh-round pick in 2024.

A week ago, after the Broncos’ joint practice with the Arizona Cardinals, head coach Sean Payton told reporters he liked his depth at receiver. They were further along as a roster as a whole, Payton indicated, a reality that’d lead to some tough decisions. Third-round rookie Pat Bryant flashed big upside during Denver’s training camp, and young returners Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr. look poised for a greater role.

“There’s a chance a receiver that might be out here today might be on a 53 somewhere else,” Payton said.

It seemed unlikely, though, that he could’ve been referencing Vele. The second-year wideout established himself as a key piece for quarterback Bo Nix as a rookie last season, primarily working from the slot and catching 41 passes for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. He fit Payton’s mold for an ideal receiver: large frame at 6-foot-5, strong hands, good physicality in traffic.

As recently as Saturday, Vele didn’t dress for the Broncos’ preseason game with the Cardinals alongside a slew of starters.

“He’s got a lot of versatility,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said of Vele after Wednesday’s practice. “He’s big, he can run, good route-runner. And, so, he’s a guy that you can plug in a lot of spots. Smart, so he can play all the positions, so that’s very helpful.”

Vele had a monster week of OTAs back in May. In June, though, he missed all of Denver’s minicamp with injury, and hasn’t looked as dynamic throughout camp and preseason reps. As fluid as Denver’s receiver rotation is, general roles seemed to coalesce in camp around Vele: Courtland Sutton as the X and Mims at the Z, with Franklin suddenly pushing for time at a variety of spots.