Devaughn Vele moves past rib injury and waits for his next shot

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Devaughn Vele still ranks fourth among Denver Broncos wide receivers in receptions so far this season — even though he hasn’t seen the field on gameday since Week 1.

The rookie seventh-round pick was felled by a rib injury absorbed on a hit during that 26-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to the practice field in Week 3 and wasn’t listed on the injury report at all last week in West Virginia or this week back at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit, but he still hasn’t found his way back to the gameday active roster.

He admits having some frustration at the circumstances.

“There’s moments where I think about that a little bit,” Devaughn Vele said. “But at the same time, we’ve been on a winning streak. We’ve been doing well, so, I just want to ride that wave that the team’s on right now and just be a part of that.”

For now, his focus is simple:

“Reliability and availability,” he said. “Those are the only two things I’m focusing on right now.”

He’s practiced every day since Sep. 18. He’s been a full practice participant every day since Sep. 19. So, Vele is doing well in demonstrating those two attributes on a day-to-day basis.

But there’s also the process of continuing to learn. To that end, he pays attention to the veteran receivers in the room, led by Courtland Sutton and Josh Reynolds.

“Just little things, being the savvy players understanding their roles and all that stuff,” Vele said. “So, I take a lot of pride in watching how those guys play and just gaining that experience.”

And … he’s also noting the uniforms, too.

“I love it,” Vele said, smiling. “I think it’s the coolest uniform we have, so I’m hoping we can wear it more often.

“… I like the color scheme. The light blue goes crazy, so I’m a big fan of it.”

Beyond Devaughn Vele, it was status quo from Wednesday. Safety JL Skinner practiced for a second consecutive day as he returns from an ankle injury. Running back Tyler Badie didn’t practice once again after sitting out Wednesday’s work due to a back injury.

Broncos WR Devaughn Vele, on the throwback uniform:

“I love it,” he said. “I think it’s the coolest uniform we have, so I’m hoping, we can wear it more often. …

“I like the color scheme. The light blue goes crazy, so, I’m a big fan of it. pic.twitter.com/AqHYHjxrAE

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 3, 2024

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