By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS — It can be hard to appreciate the good amid the concerns when it comes to the NFL. The New Orleans Saints dropped a heartbreaker to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 after a historically hot start to the season. While the excitement around the team hits a lull, it is worth highlighting things that are working, even after Sunday’s loss.
Enter wide receiver Chris Olave. The third-year wideout was tasked this season of being the team’s go-to option in the passing game and he’s made good on it despite not receiving much attention in the meanwhile.
Olave’s season started off slowly with a two-catch, 11-yard game against the Carolina Panthers on the way to a 47-10 rout. While the receiver’s statistical output may not have jumped off the box score, the attention he commanded and the blocking he so willingly executed helped to create opportunities for others.
Fast-forward to Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys where Olave reeled in four catches for 81 yards including a remarkable leaping catch at the goalline. He then followed that performance up with an 86-yard day against the Eagles, including a wide open touchdown where he bamboozled former Saints nickel corner C.J. Garnder-Johnson with the ease of an inside release.
Olave has not been heralded much yet this season by talking heads, but his contributions have been exactly what New Orleans had hoped. His impact has come from multiple angles and last Sunday’s performance is one that he should be able to build off of from a production standpoint.
The speedy wideout secured all six of his targets including five first downs, three of which coming on third and long. He continued to move around the formation, taking 18 snaps out wide and another seven in the slot, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). His 3.44 yards per route run was good for No. 5 among all receivers with at least four targets in Week 3.
Per Next Gen Stats, he contributed a +11.6 EPA in Week 3 as well. EPA translates production of yards and touchdowns into Expected Points Added. It effectively is a metric which quantifies a player’s performance into how many potential points they help the team gain with their actions. For Olave, he was the No.2 receiver in that category last week.
PFF also has him graded as the No. 3 receiver in the NFL despite only having 14 targets thus far. Because New Orleans has, at least until Week 3, had such success running the football with running back Alvin Kamara, they have not had to go to the air much to start the season. However, once those opportunities ticked up, Olave stepped up as well. He has caught four of his five contested catch opportunities thus far and has a reliable 85.7% catch rate to start the year.
Olave’s start may not be lighting up scoreboards and box scores just yet, but his contributions have been impactful. The Saints are dealing with injuries on the offensive line which can severely limit the team’s passing game. That means Olave and his explosive running mate Rashid Shaheed will be called upon in some not-so-advantageous situations to make a play. If they can capture those moments, perhaps the praise will catch up with the production.
