NFL veteran wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones has been released by the New Orleans Saints to make room for newly-acquired receiver Devaughn Vele.
Peoples-Jones was officially released on Thursday, a day after the Saints traded a fourth and sixth-round draft pick to the Denver Broncos for Vele. Peoples-Jones did not have a catch in either of the Saints' first two preseason games.
Peoples-Jones, a Detroit native, was a sixth-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2020, where he spent nearly four seasons before getting traded to his hometown Lions in 2023. He re-signed with the Lions in 2024, and spent the year on the practice squad.
He has caught 122 passes for 1,895 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his career. Peoples-Jones also returned punts for the Browns, and returned one for a 76-yard touchdown in 2022. The best season of his career was also 2022 when he grabbed 61 passes for 839 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The Saints signed Peoples-Jones in May after his minicamp tryout.
In 2024 as a rookie, Vele caught 41 passes for 475 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
The Saints are set to wrap up the preseason at 12 p.m. on Saturday against the Broncos, in another Caesars Superdome return for former Saints coach Sean Payton.