For a couple weeks, it looked like the New Orleans Saints had one of the most electric receiver duos in the NFL.
Through the first five games of last season, both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed had both topped at least 80 receiving yards in a game three times. Olave looked well on his way to posting his third consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaign to start his career, and Shaheed was adding to his big-play prowess, with his three receiving touchdowns coming from 43, 59 and 70 yards out.
Then it all unraveled. Shaheed suffered a knee injury that ended his season after six games. Olave suffered multiple concussions that limited him to eight games and kept him on the shelf for the final eight weeks.
As good as those two were, New Orleans had little else to lean on behind them. Despite playing in only eight games, two of which he left with injury after playing fewer than 10 snaps, Olave led all Saints receivers in receiving yards (400).
If New Orleans was concerned about its young receivers staying healthy this season, it didn’t show during the offseason. The Saints did not address the position with any of their nine draft picks, and their lone signing prior to the draft was 12-year NFL veteran Brandin Cooks.
Depth chart (Name, height, weight, NFL experience)
Chris Olave, 6-0, 187, 4
Rashid Shaheed, 6-0, 180, 4
Brandin Cooks, 5-10, 190, 12
Cedrick Wilson, 6-2, 197, 8
Bub Means, 6-2, 215, 2
Dante Pettis, 6-1, 195, 7
Donovan Peoples-Jones, 6-2, 204, 5
Kevin Austin, 6-2, 200, 2
Mason Tipton, 5-11, 187, 2
Moochie Dixon, 6-0, 187, R
Chris Tyree, 5-10,192, R
Best case
Both Olave and Shaheed stay healthy and build upon what they started to show last year, while Cooks proves he’s still got something left in the tank as a No. 3 option after a couple down years.
It feels like a lot to ask for all three of those things to come true, but it’s certainly not impossible. Olave averaged 15.5 games his first two seasons before a scary string of concussions last year, and Shaheed played in 33 of a possible 35 games to start his career before his knee injury sidelined him for the final 11 games in 2024. Cooks is a bit of a reach, considering he hasn’t topped 700 yards in a season since 2021, and he too is coming off an injury-plagued season.
If they’re on the field, it's hard to bet against Olave and Shaheed’s individual talents, especially with a proven offensive play-caller like Kellen Moore available to push the right buttons.
It will likely look different than it did at the start of last season, when the Saints were consistently taking deep shots with their speedy receiver corps.
New Orleans may also ask Olave to do less work between the numbers as a way to expose him to fewer big hits. But there also may be more opportunities for both players to do more with the ball after the catch in the Moore offense.
Both Olave and Shaheed gained about 30% of their yards after the catch last season, while Devonta Smith — a similar player in terms of style and frame — gained about 36% of his yards after the catch under Moore last year compared to 27.6% in the year before Moore arrived.
If both can stay healthy, and if Cooks can take advantage of the attention the top two garner, it’s not hard to envision a Saints passing attack that is better than last year’s, even taking the unproven quarterback into account.
Worst case
Yeah, but what happens if they can’t stay healthy?
And will the Saints ultimately rue their decision not to add some size to this position group?
All three of the top guys are 6-foot or shorter, and all weigh between 180 and 190 pounds. Beyond the obvious durability concerns that come with those frames, even someone as technically proficient as Olave is limited when it comes to making the tough, contested catches that move the chains on third-and-medium.
New Orleans has lacked this element in its offense for years. Maybe that role can be filled by someone like Bub Means, who showed some promise last year before dealing with his own injury woes. Maybe Juwan Johnson, who is effectively a big-bodied receiver with a TE next to his name, can be that guy. But maybe the Saints still don’t have it on their roster.
Moore has said several times this offseason that he likes his receiver group, but it’s hard to get excited about anybody beyond the two lead guys who will come into the season needing to prove they can stay on the field.
A prediction in 10 words or less
Olave and Shaheed combine to post more than 2,000 yards.