The Denver Broncos took a chance Tuesday on a low-risk, potentially high-reward free agent signing.
The Broncos, coached by former Saints leader Sean Payton, are trying to run back one of Payton's best New Orleans success stories: Darren Sproles.
No, not literally with Sproles, who is retired. But they signed Deuce Vaughn, who is the closest thing the current NFL has to Sproles. Vaughn will start out on the Broncos' practice squad, according to CBS Sports reporter Matt Zenitz.
Vaughn was released by the Dallas Cowboys on the NFL's roster cutdown day.
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When Vaughn entered the league, Sproles was his comparison, based in large part on his small stature. Deuce, full name Christopher Vaughn II, is just 5-foot-6 and 176 pounds.
He came into the NFL in 2023 as a sixth-round pick by the Cowboys after starring at Kansas State.
But in two seasons, Vaughn played in just 14 games.
For Dallas, Vaughn had 40 rushes for 110 yards (2.8 ypc) and 10 catches for 58 yards.
It's not clear he can actually make it work at his size at the NFL level.
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That's not to say Payton couldn't figure it out, though. He turned Sproles into one of the league's most exciting running backs.
But Sproles could also be one of one. Just because Vaughn is small doesn't mean he has the entire skillset Sproles had.
The Broncos are giving it a shot, at least. A practice squad contract is not a big deal whether it works or not. And if it happened to work, it'd be a lot of fun for Payton and company.
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