How Chris Olave has emerged from Michael Thomas’ shadow to become the Saints’ WR1

METAIRIE, La. — Chris Olave didn’t always know what it meant to be a No. 1 receiver.

He knew how to make plays in key moments and rack up stats, compiling back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons for the New Orleans Saints in his first two years. But Olave also spent those years in the shadow of veteran Michael Thomas, the 2019 NFC Offensive Player of the Year whose last four seasons were derailed by injuries.

Olave had Thomas’ experience to lean on at the beginning of his career, But after the veteran’s release in March, it was clear the team would rely heavily on Olave going forward. Now 24 years old and getting into the heart of his third season — his first without Thomas — Olave wants to be trusted in every aspect of his game.

He spent the offseason working on his deficiencies with the intention of becoming a true No. 1 receiver. Olave wanted to become a more durable and a reliable blocker. He prepared for those responsibilities by working on his strength in the weight room and also watched clips of his blocking to find ways to improve after admitting he looked “weak” in that area.

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“I just want to be an every-down receiver,” Olave said. ” … I feel like the first few years, I came out on run plays. Everybody knew it was going to be a run. So I just want to be in there. Even on the run plays, be relied on to be able to make blocks. Just taking the next step in my game.”

The Saints (2-2) will be looking to Olave to make big plays when they attempt to end a two-game skid against the Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) on Monday night (8:15 ET, ESPN).

“When Mike was here … it was that transition of Chris was starting to get the No. 1 targets, all that kind of stuff. It was different,” quarterback Derek Carr said in training camp. “But coming into this year, he knows. … In his head, ‘Every ball is mine.’ Every play that is called, he should feel like, ‘I’m getting that thing.'”

Olave showed his ability to make those big catches with a little more than two minutes left in a Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He streaked across the corner of the end zone, stutter-stepped and dragged his toes down to secure a go-ahead touchdown before the Eagles came back to win in the game’s final minute.

Those were the kinds of moments Olave envisioned when he was selected No. 11 in the 2022 draft out of Ohio State. But he didn’t consider much beyond that when he entered the league at age 21.

“That’s how I was at first, ” Olave said. “… I thought it was just be able to catch passes, catch touchdowns.”

There have already been signs of Olave making a leap. He caught a season-high eight passes for 87 yards and converted two late third downs to give the Saints a chance in a 26-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week. Olave, who leads the team with 20 catches for 265 yards and a touchdown, has deemed these types of performances “the standard” dating back to his days as a Buckeye.

But his new standard also includes what he displayed against the Falcons: a block that allowed running back Alvin Kamara to gain 7 yards and a 33-yard contested catch that was called back because of a teammate’s penalty.

Olave did all of those things while playing 58 snaps with an injured hamstring.

“There’s no moral victories, but that’s definitely a positive going forward for sure for us,” Carr said after the loss. “His grit and his toughness. That’s what we need from our No. 1, and he gave that to us.”

OLAVE WASN’T THINKING about blocking in a 26-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 of last season. Instead, he was frustrated after catching one pass for 4 yards.

He said he expressed his frustration on the sideline. Several teammates pulled him aside to correct his attitude and give him advice.

“Older guys tell me that’s natural [to] have bad games,” Olave said this summer. “But just having the standard I have for myself and the expectation I have for myself, it gets hard sometimes. … Let it go and just bounce back for the next game is something that I learned last year.”

Olave admitted he had the wrong approach, but that wasn’t a cure-all for the rest of the season. He was publicly called out by Carr and Saints coach Dennis Allen three weeks later for his route running against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carr was captured yelling at Olave during the broadcast, and Allen said the next week that he didn’t run the route through to the end. Olave was also arrested on suspicion of reckless driving a few days after that game.

“​​I feel like we was clicking the first couple games of the year and then we went on a little drop,” Olave said. “The last five games I feel like we was clicking, but it was on and off last year.”

Olave had three 100-yard receiving games in his final six games of the season. Carr said he thought they were finally in sync in a Week 13 loss to the Detroit Lions when Olave improvised his route as if he knew exactly what Carr was thinking.

“As I’m throwing it, he started sitting [the route] down. I drilled it in the window, he caught it and split it for like 20-something yards,” Carr said. “And I was like, ‘Holy crap, this could get really fun.’ … The fact that he saw it the same way I did, that’s hard for receivers to do.”

Olave said he got caught up in the idea of being a No. 1 receiver and trying to catch every pass. Now, he feels he and teammate Rashid Shaheed, who has 15 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns, share that No. 1 title. Olave entered Week 5 ranked 15th in receiving yards and Shaheed was tied for 16th.

“It was just a growing [experience]. I was young,” Olave said. ” … It’s not always going to come my way, but as long as we’re winning, I’m doing my job. That’s the only thing I can control.”

When Olave caught two passes against the Carolina Panthers in the season opener, there was no expression of frustration, marking a shift from his thought process at the end of last season.

“People don’t stay the same,” wide receivers coach Keith Williams said. “He focused on that type of growth in that area. And he has [grown]. He didn’t flinch. He was excited for what the plan is for everybody else. He was excited about the way he blocks.”

OLAVE DECIDED TO “reprogram” his mindset when he began the 2024 offseason after the Saints hired offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Kubiak’s offensive scheme involves more wide receiver blocking responsibilities in order to disguise offensive tendencies from opposing defenses. Olave said blocking was one of his biggest weaknesses because he wasn’t used to doing it.

“I’m used to catching the ball, running the ball, scoring touchdowns,” Olave said earlier this summer. “But that ain’t really been working for us as far as the winning column the past two years.”

The scheme relies on establishing the run, and the Saints were tied for first in rushing attempts through the first four weeks of the season.

“A lot of success in our run game in particular has been the play of our wide receivers. Blocking has been outstanding,” offensive line coach John Benton said. “Not just the block, but just the silly things like the fake jet sweeps. They run with conviction and we make a point to show how much they’re influencing the defense every time.”

Olave has committed to his job. He threw himself into a block against the Panthers, got knocked over in the process and took out three defensive players along the way for a 17-yard gain by Kamara.

“Chris’ willingness to go throw his hat in there on a weak-side run and take three guys out. … The man made the play of the day making that block on that run,” Carr said the next week.

In that same game, Olave and center Erik McCoy‘s blocks opened up a lane for running back Jamaal Williams to score on a 14-yard run. Olave followed that up in Week 2 by blocking his man just long enough for Kamara to get in the end zone in a victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

He has not only been able to prove his reliability in the run game, but he also impressed Kubiak with his availability in training camp.

“He was our iron man in training camp. He did not miss a practice,” Kubiak said. “… He’s one of many that’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and he knows there’s plenty more in the tank for him.”

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OLAVE’S EMBRACE OF “the dirty work” hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“He’s up there getting catches early, after practice, extra reps after practice with the quarterbacks,” rookie receiver Bub Means said. “I’ve been on that routine, but he’s a first-round draft pick … and he’s still out there working hard. So that kind of showed me, look, the best in the business, still getting it done.”

It has also come at a time of all-around change. Keith Williams, 53, was hired as wide receivers coach to provide what Allen described as a “father figure” type of leadership.

Thomas was released in March, leaving Olave and Shaheed as the veterans in the room. The Saints also signed 28-year-old Cedrick Wilson Jr. ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported last week that the Saints were on Raiders wideout Davante Adams‘ short list of teams to which he’d like to be traded. Adams played with Carr at Fresno State and in Las Vegas. While Adams and Olave primarily play outside, they have both taken snaps from the slot this year and could likely mix and match if paired.

Olave has credited Thomas for his development and said he helped push him through the rookie wall in 2022. Thomas was limited to 13 games over the past two seasons because of injuries, but he left a legacy after catching an NFL-record 149 passes for the Saints in 2019.

When Thomas was released, there was no question Olave was the main guy going forward. He has accepted the responsibility and quietly become someone whom other receivers try to emulate.

“What I got to see from Day 1 is how hard he works. He’s real dedicated to his craft,” rookie receiver Mason Tipton said. “He’s on the Jugs [machine]. He’s doing extra speed work. He’s watching film. Sometimes you might not expect that out of a wide receiver 1. You might think that they kinda just cruise. But he works his ass off.”

Olave pointed out he’s only a year older than Means and the same age as Tipton. But if Olave has a chance to set a new standard this year, he’ll certainly take it.

“I kind of learned that at Ohio State at a young age and just brought that here,” he said. “… I know I’m not a big talker, but just trying to set the example, work hard and have everybody follow.”