The 2025 season was a breakout one for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave. It can be hard to point out one year as a “breakout” when a player has already crossed the 1,000-receiving yard threshold three times in his four professional seasons.
However, 2025 represented such a year for Olave because of his consistency and scoring development. He reeled in 100 receptions last year–only the second player in Saints history to do so–for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns. He was only one touchdown catch shy of becoming the first player in franchise history with 100 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and ten touchdown receptions.
Going into 2026, Olave approaches another year that fully supports his ability as a route-runner and volume producer. This symbiosis sets the wideout up to be one of the most important players for his club.
Over the years, Olave’s role has shifted to becoming a more complete wide receiver. He played a complementary role early in his career while paired with wideout Michael Thomas. Then, last year, he saw more attention in the short areas of the field as an every down reliable pass-catcher while remaining a threat downfield.
Olave does his best work in the intermediate passing game. He has been one of the NFL’s most consistent receivers in that area throughout his career. Now, he’s paired with head coach Kellen Moore, whose offense thrives in the intermediate passing game, and quarterback Tyler Shough, who ranked second in the NFL in intermediate passing accuracy last season.
Not only do Moore and Shough give Olave a comfortable setup for what he does well, but the wideout provides his head coach and quarterback with an experienced, playmaking contributor in the area the offense is being built to attack.
While defenses play more Cover 2 and Cover 4 than in recent years, being able to generate explosive plays by attacking the intermediate area is becoming a must for NFL offenses. The Saints have one of the most consistent playmakers in Olave ready to help achieve that.
The importance of Olave as a producer and leader for the offense is apparent. Going into the 2026 season, with hopes held high by fans, Olave will be one of the most important players to take the football field.
