BREAKING: Saints Set to Bet on Devaughn Vele as Their New Star Receiver After Shaheed Trade
When the New Orleans Saints traded a pair of draft picks that included a fourth-round selection in next year’s draft for Devaughn Vele in August, the expectation was that their new wide receiver would play more than a mid-round prospect would have, anyway.
But through nine games, that hasn’t gone according to plan.
This season, Vele has played just 152 snaps — a low number considering what the Saints sent to acquire him from the Denver Broncos. In fact, of the 36 players taken in the fourth round of this year’s NFL draft, 17 have received the same or more playing time than Vele.
“We obviously have got to get him on the field,” coach Kellen Moore said.
The path to do so was made easier this week.
The Saints’ decision to trade Rashid Shaheed to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday created a spot that Vele could step into. The two receivers have different skill sets, and Shaheed wasn’t necessarily an obstacle blocking Vele from seeing the field, but Moore said Vele, Brandin Cooks and Mason Tipton would be among those who the Saints would count on to fill Shaheed’s absence.
“He’s going to carry a healthy role the rest of the way through this thing,” Moore said. “He’ll be very involved and I’m excited about that.”
At his locker, Vele said his mentality won’t change now that a bigger role is in store. The second-year wideout said he’s tried to take advantage of every opportunity given to him, adding later he wasn’t worried about his snap count. That mindset helped him excel in Denver — where the 27-year-old rose the ranks as a seventh-round rookie to become a go-to target in the slot.
Last season, Vele had 41 receptions for 475 yards and three touchdowns. His 6-foot-5 frame not only created mismatches in the red zone, but it was partly why the Saints were attracted enough to trade for him.
But Vele’s production has yet to translate to New Orleans. Moore said Vele’s usage was “not my best” coaching job, though he suggested his team’s lack of trips to the red zone was a “big factor” in him not seeing the field.
That doesn’t completely pass the smell test, however. The Saints have had 60 red-zone snaps this season — and Vele has only played 18 of them, far behind Chris Olave (54), Cooks (45) and Shaheed (43).
“Logistically, it's tough when you have Olave and Sheed and Juwan (Johnson) and Cooks on a rotational basis,” quarterback Tyler Shough said. “But at the same time, there is a bunch of stuff that was schemed to go to him and sometimes it just doesn't happen that way — it's football, you know."
Another reason that could explain Vele’s lack of playing time is his health. After dealing with a knee injury this summer in Denver, Vele suffered a hip injury that caused him to miss a Week 3 loss to the Seahawks. Moore said the ailment “slowed a little bit of the installation” of the offense for Vele.
There’s a scenario, of course, in which the Saints simply got fleeced. While Broncos coach Sean Payton called trading Vele one of the toughest moves of his career, perhaps that was just a ruse to make his former team feel good about the deal. It’s hard not to wonder whether the reality of Vele's limited role has to do with what the Saints’ coaching staff has observed from the wide receiver every week.
But players and coaches say they like what they've seen.
“His selflessness, his willingness to go in there and get dirty in the run game, even protection,” Cooks said. “When his number is called to make a play in the pass game, he does it. To see his growth every week — obviously not being here during camp — (to) see how fast he’s been able to pick up the offense, every week, he’s just continuing to get better.”
“He hasn’t had the big, breakout game catch-wise, but when you look at the things he’s done, when he has been in the football game, it’s been productive,” offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier said.
Vele, who has five catches for 39 yards and a touchdown, will now get an extended look to have that big, breakout game.
To this point, it hasn’t been there.
“When opportunities come, I just have to make the most of them,” Vele said.
Saints Set Tyler Shough Up to Fail: Offensive Line Neglect Is Coaching Malpractice
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Tyler Shough has been criticized for his inability to stay healthy during his collegiate career. This issue persists as he nearly got hurt in his first start, and the New Orleans Saints offensive line must protect Shough in order for him to start for the remainder of the season.
ESPN's Katherine Terrell reported that Shough couldn’t close his jaw properly until Tuesday because of a hit he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams. He is fully healthy heading into week 10 but this still creates concerns about his durability. His talent doesn’t matter if he’s not on the field.
Just because there are concerns doesn’t mean he should be labeled as injury-prone. He’s missed tons of time with injury but none are persistent issues, such as a hamstring for a wide receiver. He broke his collarbone twice and his fibula once in college. These aren’t likely to happen again.
The Saints offensive line needs to improve
The offensive line is a major concern for the Saints. The tackles are young, but great. Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks both have room to improve but are capable of protecting Shough. The worries are more on the interior.
This group fell apart after Erik McCoy suffered a season ending injury. In addition, starting left guard Trevor Penning was traded on Tuesday. This leaves Cesar Ruiz as the singular week one starter remaining, who has been criticized for his play when McCoy is injured. Luke Fortner and Dillon Radunz will both have to step up.
The easiest way to get pressure against New Orleans is right up the middle, and it's the most impactful versus any offense. This is what made players like Aaron Donald so dangerous. Shough has consistently struggled against pressure in his career, so having a faltering interior is not a recipe for his future success or health. The offensive line needs to improve in a hurry for Shough to have any impact in his rookie season.
Tyler Shough already had an injury scare in his first career start. Questions about his durability are already being brought up. The offensive line needs to silence these questions and protect their rookie quarterback. It will be the difference between him having a successful, or an injury-riddled first season.
