New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bryce Lance (18) warms up before the start of the first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Saturday, Aug. 15, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
DETROIT — Devaughn Vele had a number of big catches in Sunday’s [31-30 overtime loss](https://nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/3658f5dc-be5e-4e55-873f-8c37c8677d85) to the Detroit Lions, but the New Orleans Saints wide receiver said the most hyped up he felt all day was when he saw rookie Bryce Lance convert the biggest play of his young career.
It was fourth-and-12 with less than two minutes left in regulation. The Saints were down 7, and the game was on the line. So as he avoided the blitz, quarterback Tyler Shough climbed the pocket and fired a pass toward Lance’s direction.
Even with Lions cornerback D.J. Reed on his back, Lance managed to haul it in for the first down.
“That’s what we look for and that’s why we trust in those guys,” Vele said.
In Week 1, the Saints trusted Lance in a big way — beyond his crucial fourth-down catch. With Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) on injured reserve, Lance emerged as the Saints’ clear-cut third receiver. He played 62 snaps, 69% of the offense’s total.
The Saints’ trust in Lance even extended to Shough again looking his way with the game on the line. On the Saints’ failed 2-point conversion attempt in overtime, with Chris Olave and Vele covered, the quarterback saw Lance on a corner route and gave the 6-foot-3 receiver a chance to make a play.
The pass was incomplete, but it still said a lot about the 24-year-old’s progress that the Saints were willing to have him out there.
“Obviously I wanted that last play back,” Lance said. “But I think it was a good learning experience. I know it’s a long season, so I’m going to try and just get better as the weeks go on.
“I should have come down with it,” he said later.
As hard as Lance was on himself for the final play, there was still a lot the rookie could be proud of. He finished the day with three catches for 42 yards.
Lance surprisingly logged more snaps than other playmakers, such as running back Travis Etienne (53) and tight end Noah Fant (37). Fellow rookie wide receiver Barion Brown, a sixth-rounder out of LSU, logged only five snaps on offense.
“I’m excited to keep going forward,” Lance said.