While a lot of the offseason attention has centered around New Orleans Saints wide receivers Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson, another player set to be a key contributor to the offense is wideout Devaughn Vele.
The third-year receiver excited in his late-season stretch with the team before an injury ended his season early. He did so by being a valuable weapon for quarterback Tyler Shough in the middle of the field and on scramble drills. The latter was highlighted by his touchdown catch in the back of the end zone against the Miami Dolphins in Week 13.
That same eight-catch, 93-yard performance he had in that game served as a bit of an arrival for the receiver, who had been acquired via trade during the preseason.
Going into 2026, his ability to navigate the middle of the field will continue to be a core piece to his game, but another major factor will be his contested catch ability.
Quietly, Vele had an incredible season in this category in 2025. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound pass catcher reeled in nine of his 11 contested catch opportunities, per Pro Football Focus. This happened in a season where he also had zero drops across all 36 of his targets.
The sure hands of Vele, especially when in traffic, has been mostly overlooked in revisiting his season. But it truly sets up to be a key weapon for the Saints in 2026.
New Orleans finished last year No. 32 in red zone scoring percentage, in 2025, converting just 44.4% of their chances.
Vele’s ability in contested situations along with Olave and Tyson’s route-running in those condensed areas promises to help New Orleans make important strides in finding the end zone this year.
It will be hard for Vele to maintain an 81.8% efficiency, which was the league’s best for any player with more than 10 contested targets in the league, for an entire season. But playing to the level of some of the NFL’s best (around 70%) would be an unprecedented difference-maker for the Saints’ offense in 2026.
