Who Should I Start? Allen Lazard or Devaughn Vele

Tuesday, August 12, 12:32 PM

New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard (shoulder) will be out for a couple of weeks as he tends to his shoulder injury, according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Lazard will now most likely miss the rest of the preseason after picking up a right-shoulder injury in the preseason opener last weekend against the Green Bay Packers. Depending on how the 29-year-old recovers, he could be in danger of missing the Week 1 regular-season opener in early September as well. For a player that struggled with drops last year and is competing for a starting role in 2025, this isn't exactly great news. With Lazard out for a couple weeks, it will give Tyler Johnson a leg up as he looks to lock down the WR3 role in New York behind Garrett Wilson and Josh Reynolds. Lazard had 37 catche for 530 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games (10 starts) last year with the Jets.

Thursday, August 7, 5:48 PM

The Denver Broncos released their initial unofficial depth chart on the team's website, and wide receiver Devaughn Vele is listed as a reserve. Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. are listed as Denver's two starting wide receivers. Vele started seven of the 13 games he played for the Broncos as a rookie in 2024 and recorded 41 catches for 475 yards and three touchdowns for the season. However, Vele's target share dipped over the final five weeks of 2024, a stretch that coincided with a much heavier workload for Mims Jr. While Vele and Mims Jr. fill different roles within Denver's offense, this early look at the depth chart could be an indication that the team is planning to carry over its wide receiver usage trends from the end of 2024 into 2025.