Why Saints fans can expect a career year for Chris Olave in 2024

Hopes are high for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave entering his third season in the NFL. In the previous two years, Olave hasn’t been the Saints true number one receiver going into the year. That changed this offseason with the departure of Michael Thomas. Now, Chris Olave has a chance to have a career season and cement himself as one of the top receivers in the league.

He has already been a stud for the Saints, recording over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. Now, it is about seeing if he can take his game to the next level and become a superstar.

A particular area where the star receiver could improve is turning catches into touchdowns. He has only had nine touchdowns in his first two years, which is not bad at all, but if he wants to reach the next caliber of receivers, those numbers need to improve.

Chris Olave will take things to another level in 2024

In 2023, the Saints attempted a total of 569 passes— 138 of them headed Olaves way. This equates to Olave being targeted nearly a quarter of the time (24.3%). This number should rise in 2024, as 17.4% of targets from last year are no longer on the team. Obviously other receivers like Rashid Shaheed, A.T. Perry, and Cedrick Wilson will take some of this percentage up but Olave’s numbers should increase as well.

Glimpses of his usage can already be seen in the first preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. Derek Carr attempted a total of six passes in his limited snaps, and of those attempts, four of them targeted Olave. This shows how much trust there is and the magnitude of the connection between the quarterback and the receiver.

The Saints offense is going to take some time to get implemented; it shouldn’t be expected for Klint Kubiak's offense to be perfect in Week 1. There are going to be some miscommunications and blunders but that should improve with reps. If the Saints can get the offense down early in the season and get Olave involved, then their outlook is looking bright.

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