Saints receive great news regarding breakout player’s status after he has created a connection with QB Tyler Shough
The Saints caught a break when it comes to the latest injury update for their offense of the future.
The New Orleans Saints can breathe a sigh of relief regarding one of their most exciting offensive pieces from this season following the latest injury news surrounding him. Wide receiver Devaughn Vele avoided a nightmare situation when he was forced to leave the team’s Week 15 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Saints WR Devaughn Vele avoided major injury against Panthers
According to Nick Underhill, wide receiver Devaughn Vele did not suffer a major shoulder injury during the team’s win over Carolina this past weekend. He is considered week-to-week and could miss at least one game. With just three games left, it remains to be seen if he will suit up again this season for New Orleans.
Vele has been a revelation over the latter half of this campaign for the Saints.
Since Tyler Shough has been the starter, the wideout has been a consistent target on third down that the rookie quarterback has looked to on a weekly basis. Picking up third and medium-long is usually a difficult premise in the NFL, but Vele’s connection with Shough has overcome that pretty often. Shough and Vele led the Saints offense in PFF grades during the Week 15 victory.
It is also worth noting that Vele provides a different skillset than Chris Olave, who is largely looked at as the top WR on the roster. Olave understands space really well and has the speed to make big plays after the catch when given the opportunity. Meanwhile for Vele, he plays through contact at the catch point and once he has the football.
Many fans scoffed at the “swap” of Vele and Rashid Shaheed that New Orleans made over the course of this season (with some draft compensation involved), but it looks like that decision may work out for them in the long run. Add in the fact that Mason Tipton has been an impressive special teams returner since the departure of Shaheed, and you see a glimpse of the hopes that Kellen Moore and the Saints front office had when they were making deals.
All in all, New Orleans has no need to rush Vele back this season. They will not get back into the postseason race, and he figures to be a impactful piece to the passing game in 2026. No matter what – this sort of injury update is much better than one that automatically rules him out for the remainder of this campaign.
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