Vele trade
By: Jake Rajala
The New Orleans Saints battle the Denver Broncos this upcoming weekend. Well, the Saints got more familiar with the Broncos before the final preseason game. They officially acquired former Broncos wide receiver Devaughn Vele. The Saints shipped off a 2026 fourth round pick and an 2027 seventh round pick. Sean Payton was generous enough to trade to his old squad.
Vele recorded 475 yards on 41 grabs last season. He missed four games last season, too. PFF handed him a grade of 72.3 last season.
He has drawn comparisons to former Saints 6’5 WR Marques Colston, who was also 6’5 and known for making tough catches across the middle. Vele also has a high motor and doesn’t give up on plays.
Vele is talented, but there is another way of looking at it. The Saints carry Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks, and Mason Tipton has played lights out. So, do the Saints really need him?
I believe that he fills a unique role. The other Saints WRs are mainly explosive, speed wideouts. Vele is large and can take the lumps and score in the red zone. Olave and Shaheed have been injury-prone, so it was wise to get depth.
In the end, I kind of love this trade. I would give this trade a B.
He could be a top-3 WR on the Saints. He is a third-down machine. Although, he is 27 years old. They should have targeted a young WR, especially if they wanted to flip a 4th round pick. It still would have been worse if they traded for a 30 year old WR in my opinion.
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