Welcome to the 53, Devaughn Vele.
The Denver Broncos‘ seventh-round rookie wide receiver might have punched his ticket to the final roster on Day 12 of training camp, making a spectacular one-handed touchdown catch — eerily reminiscent of Odell Beckham Jr.’s iconic grab — during Thursday’s practice.
Footage of the play was captured by a fan in attendance and shared on social media.
The physics-defying snag is (to this point) the pinnacle of a tremendous camp from Vele, who at times has rotated with the first-string offense in team periods, vaulting from a potential practice squad candidate to Denver’s likely WR5.
“He’s making a lot of those plays all camp,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said Thursday, adding that Vele “has been everything we hoped for.”
The 6-foot-5, 210-pound Utah product isn’t guaranteed anything yet — preseason action will be a determining factor — but he’s earning the trust of his quarterbacks and, more importantly, his coaches.
That goes a long way toward playing on Sundays.
“I like his size and hands in traffic. I thought he’s had a couple snaps now this week where we have to keep giving him opportunities because I think he has strong hands in traffic,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday. “There are a few players like him out here, but I think he can take reps inside and then I think he can also play at the ‘X’. His ability to catch away from his body—when you’re throwing it to him, he has a large catch radius, so you become a more accurate quarterback.”
