Going into this offseason, the New Orleans Saints had a lot of questions that needed to be answered on both sides of the ball. But the one question that was answered throughout the season was if Chris Olave was the number one WR on the team and he answered with a loud yes.
Olave finished the season with 100 receptions, 1,163 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He was one touchdown shy of becoming the first Saints player with 100 receptions, 1,000 yards, and 10 touchdowns… a nearly historic season. This also marked his third season wity over 1,000 receiving yards. It’s also why I think he will get a contract extension and be paid over $30 million dollars.
However, those stats alone and contract value are not what will make Olave a top 5 WR in the league. It will be his impact on the game and the versatility he displays. Olave is not just a deep threat. He’s a versatile receiver that can play out wide on both sides of the offensive formation, and he can even play in the slot. No matter what the coverage is, Olave finds a way to get open.
He is widely considered to be one of the best route runners in the league and because of this elite skill set, it gives him the advantage to create more opportunities for the QB (no matter who that may be) to get him the ball. Being open in the NFL is not what you would normally think that to mean. An open receiver is one that has enough space between himself, the ball, and the defender to complete the pass. Olave does a fantastic job of creating space for passes to be completed. Even when the catch is difficult, he still is able to find a way to get the job done.
Another element to why Olave is so impactful is the way defenses play the Saints to do their best to remove him as an option, even in situations where the advantage would go against the defense by trying to play that way.
I recently interviewed Breiden Fehoko, former DT of the LA Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers, on my podcast Timeouts and Tangents. A few days ago, Fehoko posted his top 6 receivers in the NFL and had Olave ranked 6th. I asked him what Olave would need to do in order to challenge for a top 3 spot and his answer was, “The Saints need to draft another receiver.” I assumed when I asked the question that he would speak about the system or improving a skill set that he may be lacking in at the moment. And after he explained it, I understood why. He said when he played the Saints when he was with LA, they had a defensive call called “Roll 12.” This rolling of coverage meant that the safety would shade to the side of the field wherever Olave, or “12,” would be. And they would do this no matter what the offense would be in. Fehoko stated, “Even if they came out in a three-by-one set and they had three receivers to the field, we rolled it to the single receiver side. Cause that’s how much we respected Olave and didn’t respect the weapons around him.”
The Saints will have the opportunity to not only elevate the roster with this upcoming draft, but elevate important players on this team. The investment that will be made into Chris Olave will be a substantial one. He is set to become the highest-paid receiver in the history of the franchise. You also have a young second-year QB in Tyler Shough, who we are all expecting to make big strides in this upcoming season. Getting another weapon won’t just set this team up for success, but it will elevate your two biggest offensive weapons at the same time. Adding a weapon like Carnell Tate, Jordan Tyson (pending medicals), Chris Bell, or even a KC Concepcion, will unlock the offense and prevent defenses from rolling coverage to “12,” giving him the ability to showcase his full potential.
We have seen a lot of really good and flashes of great from Chris Olave but I feel like we are on the cusp of seeing him fully shine here soon.
Anthony Parker
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