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ESPN wants Saints to make a bad trade just to help the Chiefs
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- ESPN wants Saints to make a bad trade just to help the Chiefs
Here's a stinker of a take from ESPN's Ben Solak . With the NFL trade deadline coming up soon on Nov. 10, Solak says the New Orleans Saints should make this bad deal just to help the Kansas City Chiefs. Here's why he says they should trade wide receiver Devaughn Vele for Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy, downgrading their 2027 fifth-round pick to a 2027 seventh rounder in the process:
Before you laugh, that's tied-for-22nd-in-total-receptions Devaughn Vele to you! Vele is an entirely unexciting target, but he is also basically what the Chiefs need. He's a big-bodied receiver who can take a ton of contact and endure 10-plus-target games. He also makes good catches away from his frame and provides red zone value -- something the Chiefs' worryingly undersized receiver room has always failed to bring. With Jordyn Tyson coming back from a hamstring injury at some point and the Saints' season on life support, New Orleans can take the gamble on rehabilitating Worthy.
Let's look at the compensation again. Solak argues the Saints should trade Vele and next year's fifth rounder to the Chiefs for Worthy and Kansas City's seventh-round pick. Why move that pick down two rounds in exchange for a worse player?
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Worthy, 23, only has one more year left after his contract and will be a free agent in 2028. Vele is on the same schedule but turns 29 in December. Worthy is a 5-foot-11, 165-pound speedster who has averaged 37 yards per game in his career so far. Vele averages 34. Vele has a better catch rate at a comparable average depth of target (9.6 yards versus 10.0), and drops just 2.8% of his targets. Worthy has a drop rate of 4.9% and has had four interceptions thrown his way. Vele has never allowed a pass thrown into his window to be taken away by the defense. Worthy has had some success as a rusher on end-arounds and sweeps but those plays are part of why the Saints just drafted Barion Brown.
Just this year, Vele is up to 33 catches for 348 yards and three touchdowns. Worthy has only caught 24 passes for 217 yards and a single touchdown. There's no reason for New Orleans to make this deal. The Saints should look into their options at the trade deadline, but they can't afford to let other teams get one over on them like this.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: ESPN wants Saints to make a bad trade just to help the Chiefs
