Chris Olave grabbed the headlines in the New Orleans Saints’ season opener against the Detroit Lions, but Devaughn Vele did plenty of damage in the shadows.
Vele turned in a strong all-around performance, finishing with 69 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. His two biggest plays came on the same kind of moment that can swing a game: a touchdown grab and a late fourth-quarter reception that covered 31 yards.
The touchdown catch showed off exactly why he can be so tough to handle. He got a clean release at the line, then finished with a diving grab for the Saints’ first score.
Later, he went airborne again to secure Tyler Shough’s deep throw on a third down in the fourth quarter. If he doesn’t make that catch, there’s a real chance the Saints don’t even attempt to go for it, and the game could have tilted toward overtime instead of ending in regulation.
That kind of performance matters even more because Vele has spent much of the offseason as something of an afterthought in the Saints’ receiver room. Olave has been the obvious star, Tyson arrived as the top-10 pick with all the attention that brings, and Bryce Lance and Barion Brown drew their own buzz as rookie standouts. Vele, meanwhile, was barely part of the conversation.
The expectation was that Olave and Tyson would carry the passing game and pile up the numbers. With Tyson sidelined by injury, Vele got a chance to show he never should have been left out of that picture in the first place - and he delivered in the opener.
At 6-foot-4, he fits the big-bodied receiver label, but Sunday also showed there’s more to his game than size alone. He can move, separate, and make plays down the field.
His numbers will probably shift once Tyson returns, but the Saints still look set to lean on him heavily. Vele has already pushed back against the idea that this is just a two-man receiving operation, and after one week, that view doesn’t hold up anymore.
Over the first four weeks, the Saints should keep featuring him. He could get close to his career high of 473 yards and three touchdowns in that stretch, and it would be more surprising if he doesn’t go beyond those marks over the full season. Going into the year, not many people would have said that about him.
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