Entering his third year in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints now have high expectations for wide receiver Chris Olave. Olave has already put together two solid years in the league, but the team is ready for him to take things to another level. With Michael Thomas no longer in New Orleans, Olave will enter the season as the unquestioned No. 1 receiver for the Saints.
During OTAs, head coach Dennis Allen talked about the expectations that he has for Olave, and Allen was very blunt about the fact that he’ll be demanding much more out of the young receiver in his third season. Allen started by saying that the team’s expectations of Olave is that they can get a lot more out of him. He went on to say that Olave can improve in contested catch situations, run after catch situations, and overall consistency from play to play.
Ultimately, Allen said the Saints are holding Olave to the standard that he’s an elite receiver in the NFL, and Olave is likely doing the same for himself.
Saints are ready for Chris Olave to make the jump to being an elite receiver
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As a rookie, Olave played in 15 games, catching 72 passes on 119 targets for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns. In year two, Olave played in 16 games, and was targeted 138 times, hauling in 87 passes for 1,123 yards and five touchdowns. Two solid seasons, and a really good start to a career, but also clear room for a significant jump in production.
Fortunately for Olave, he’ll finally enter a season with the same quarterback from the previous year. Derek Carr and Olave really started to build a stronger connection late last season, and the expectation is that the rapport will carry over into 2024. With Olave set to be the central focus in the passing game, the connection certainly needs to carry over, and be even stronger.
