Chris Olave receives special title for the Saints as New Orleans prepares for 2024

The New Orleans Saints are set for a big season in 2024. After three years without a playoff appearance, the upcoming season is a crucial year for the franchise. Another mediocre season will likely lead to massive changes. If the team cannot win the NFC South and secure a playoff spot, the Saints will likely lose head coach Dennis Allen as well as several other veterans.

One person who won’t be leaving New Orleans anytime soon is wide receiver Chris Olave. Olave has already put together two solid seasons, recording over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two years in the league. Now he enters his third year with increased expectations. Olave enters the season as the Saints’ undisputed No. 1 receiver and will be asked to establish himself as the league’s top receiver this season.

As Olave prepares for that challenge, he recently received a special title for a New Orleans team that isn’t exactly stacked with young talent. David Kenyon named each team’s most promising building blocks for the 2024 season in a recent Bleacher Report article. To make this list, players had to have played at least one snap in the NFL, still be on their rookie contract, and not be nominated for the Pro Bowl or All-Pro.

Taking this criterion into account, Kenyon named Chris Olave as the most promising building block in New Orleans.

Olave was the obvious answer; he’s clearly the best young player on the team. Still, Kenyon explained what made him special, and explained that Olave is on the verge of league-wide notoriety and can probably keep it up for a while.

“Chris Olave could soon enjoy Pro Bowl-like recognition considering he already has several 1,000-yard seasons under his belt. New Orleans can reasonably expect him to be the top receiver for the rest of the decade – and perhaps longer.”

– David Kenyon (Bleacher Report)

The Saints certainly hope that’s the case. Head coach Dennis Allen has made it clear that the team needs Olave to step up his game in every way. With Michael Thomas no longer in New Orleans, Olave is now the man and will be the focal point of the passing attack. 2024 could be the year he moves up to the top tier of receivers.

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