It wasn’t the first glimpse, but it was close. Chris Olave made a few other plays earlier during the Saints’ first open organized team activity. But later in the session, he showed the thing everyone was waiting to see, and it didn’t take long to get there. The play wasn’t supposed to happen. Derek Carr was under pressure, probably even sacked, and decided to launch the ball down the field to see what would happen. It looked like a “screw it” throw, and the quarterback admitted as much after the session. The ball wobbled through the air and looked like it would be intercepted by Marcus Maye right up until Olave went into the air and stole the ball away on a contested catch. There wasn’t much that Olave couldn’t do as a rookie. He made plays all over the field, on every route, and often looked more polished than any rookie has business looking. But he often had trouble completing catches against tight coverage or holding onto the ball when going to the ground. That bothered Olave. So, this offseason, he went to work. “I’m trying to get better results, trying to stay consistent with that,” Olave said. “Anybody can make one one time. I’m just trying to do it every time now.” Olave spent his offseason exactly how you would expect him to spend it – in the weight room. The wide receiver is always going to be long and lean, but he looks stronger, the result of doing a lot of band work this summer. And if that stuff pays off, the sky is the limit for Olave’s second season. There is an argument to get made that, this side of Marshon Lattimore, he is now the team’s most talented player. He needs to take advantage of all his opportunities, and making contested catches was a significant issue. Olave was targeted on 25 contested catches and only completed eight of those plays. One of them was a touchdown catch that led to a concussion, so there is no doubt the ability exists, and at one point midway through the season, it looked like he had started to turn a corner, but consistency on these plays was a significant issue. For reference, Michael Thomas caught nine contested passes on 11 targets in three starts. According to Pro Football Focus, some other players who saw a similar amount of contested targets could complete more plays. Terry McLaurin (17 catches, 27 targets) D.J. Moore (14 catches, 26 targets), Mike Williams (15 catches, 26 targets) and Jakobi Meyers (13 catches on 25 targets) all fared better. These numbers must improve if Olave wants to get considered in the same class as McLaurin. “It’s just being in the moment. Not letting the moment get too big. That’s something I had to work on,” Olave said. “Just looking to that in practice, trying to get those balls, especially when I’m covered. I know I got a lot of strengths, but that’s something I had to work on. I attacked that this offseason and hopefully it shows this year.” Olave finished his rookie season with 72 receptions for 1,042 yards with four touchdowns. Repeating that production year after year would make him a highly-value member of this offense. Meeting those marks again might be enough to lead the team in yardage. But that isn’t what Olave is looking to accomplish. Getting better at making tough catches is one part of the puzzle, but the infrastructure around him should also help elevate his game. Derek Carr should give the offense a steadier identity and something reliable to build upon. And having players like Mike Thomas and a stronger running game on the roster should fragment how much attention defenses can pay to Olave next season. But there’s one stat that is most important to the receiver. “I’m ready. I can’t wait to play ball. Last year was hard,” Olave said. It was tough for me. I haven’t really been around losing that much. Definitely took a step forward this offseason. Looking forward to winning again.” If the early glimpses of Olave prove to be accurate, then he should play an even more significant part in changing the fortune than he did a year ago.

It wasn’t the first glimpse, but it was close.

Second-year wide receiver Chris Olave had made a few notable plays during the early portion of the Saints’ first open organized team activity. But later in the session, he showed the one thing everyone was waiting to see.

The play wasn’t even supposed to happen. Derek Carr was under pressure, probably even sacked, and decided to launch the ball downfield to see what would happen. It looked like a “screw it” throw, and the quarterback admitted as much after the session. The ball wobbled through the air and looked like it would be intercepted by safety Marcus Maye — right up until Olave leapt into the air and snatched the ball away for an outstanding contested catch.

There wasn’t much that Olave couldn’t do as a rookie. He made plays all over the field, on every route, and often looked more polished than any rookie has business looking. But he often had trouble completing catches against tight coverage or holding onto the ball when going to the ground.

Carr ➡️ Olave 🙌#Saints pic.twitter.com/T6OiIQ7xBb— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) June 9, 2023

That bothered Olave. So, this offseason, he went to work.

“I’m trying to get better results, trying to stay consistent with that,” Olave said of making contested catches. “Anybody can make one, one time. I’m just trying to do it every time now.”

Olave spent his offseason exactly where you would have expected him to spend it — in the weight room. He is always going to be long and lean, but he looked stronger during OTAs, the result of a lot of band work this summer, he said.

What is the “ideal” offensive ranking for Saints to win 10 games? Presented by @IdealMarket.📺: https://t.co/8lvJ8FR4D5 pic.twitter.com/wq4IHjSdZs— NOF (@nofnetwork) June 9, 2023

And if that work pays off, the sky is the limit for Olave is his second season. There is an argument to be made that, this side of Marshon Lattimore, Olave is now the team’s most talented player. He needs to take advantage of all his opportunities, and making contested catches was a significant issue.

Olave was targeted on 25 contested catches and only completed eight of those plays. One of them was a touchdown catch (that resulted in a concussion), so there is no doubt the ability exists. At one point midway through the season, it looked like Olave had started to turn a corner, but consistency on these plays was a significant issue.

CHRIS OLAVE WHAT A GRAB.@Saints still in it with 11 seconds to go...📺: #MINvsNO on @NFLNetwork📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/rvQRHI7Cq9 pic.twitter.com/SYzkMDmOCt— NFL (@NFL) October 2, 2022

For reference, Michael Thomas caught nine contested passes on 11 targets in three starts. According to Pro Football Focus, other players who saw a similar number of contested targets and completed more plays were Terry McLaurin (17 catches, 27 targets) D.J. Moore (14 catches, 26 targets), Mike Williams (15 catches, 26 targets) and Jakobi Meyers (13 catches on 25 targets). Olave's own numbers must improve if he wants to be considered in the same class as a fellow Buckeye like McLaurin.

“It’s just being in the moment. Not letting the moment get too big. That’s something I had to work on,” Olave said. “Just looking to that in practice, trying to get those balls, especially when I’m covered. I know I got a lot of strengths, but that’s something I had to work on. I attacked that this offseason and hopefully it shows this year.”

Olave finished his rookie season with 72 receptions for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns. Repeating that production year after year would make him a highly-valued member of this offense. Meeting those marks again this year might be enough to lead the team in yardage. But that isn’t what Olave is looking to accomplish.

Getting better at making tough catches is one part of the puzzle, but the infrastructure around him should also help elevate his game. Carr should give the offense a steadier identity and something reliable to build upon. And having a player like Thomas back as well as a stronger running game should fragment how much attention defenses can pay to Olave this season.

But there’s one stat that is most important to the receiver.

“I’m ready. I can’t wait to play ball. Last year was hard,” Olave said. "It was tough for me. I haven’t really been around losing that much. Definitely took a step forward this offseason. Looking forward to winning again.”

If the early glimpses of Olave prove to be accurate, then he should play an even more significant part in changing the team's fortunes than he did a year ago.

NOF apps should be out in 3 weeks or so. 👀👀 pic.twitter.com/bGWvYjLns7— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) June 9, 2023