Everyone knows that Chris Olave is a good player, but the New Orleans Saints wide receiver has higher ambitions for Year 3 in black and gold. The installation of a new offense under Klint Kubiak opens the door for him to make more plays and be deployed more creatively.
But all a play caller can do is put him in position. At that point it’s on Olave to catch the ball and make a move with the defense crashing down on him. So where is he looking to improve after back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons?
“Really everywhere,” Olave told NFL Network’s Judy Battista on Wednesday, via NFL.com’s Eric Edholm. “Just going into this offseason knowing that (the Saints) believe in me as the Receiver 1, I’m excited to get to work. But I’m just trying to take that next step forward and try to go from a good player to an elite player. So just trying to be consistent every day and put in the work to be able to be one of the top receivers in the game.”
Olave has led the Saints in targets by a comfortable margin through each of his first years as a pro (drawing 119 targets in 2022 and 138 of them in 2023) but the situation is different now. Rashid Shaheed has earned more trust from his coaches and quarterback as the No. 2 option. Michael Thomas is no longer in the building. Olave will be taking point again, and he’s eager to meet the exceptions set for him.
He’s already set a high bar. Just 15 receivers have converted more first downs since Olave entered the NFL in 2022, and one of them is Kansas City Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce. He’s already encroaching on the upper tier of top wideouts around the league. Now Olave has his eyes set on removing any doubts that he belongs among them.
Olave continued: “The standards are always high. The expectation is always high. First two years, we didn’t live up to those, but like I said, the standard in the building, expectation in the building is always (to) make the playoffs and do some work in the playoffs. This year, we’re holding ourselves accountable every day and trying to stay consistent with that. It always starts around this time to be able to shine around December and January and February. I’m excited we’re putting the work in now.”
There’s one small hurdle to overcome. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Olave has been managing an injury after tweaking his shoulder in the weight room. He hasn’t missed any reps at practice, but he has had to wear a red non-contact jersey to protect his injured shoulder. Olave said he’s committed to his rehab, and this doesn’t appear to be a long-term issue. He’ll go into training camp with a clear goal in mind: Leave no doubt.
