Chris Olave’s Big Day Shows How the Saints Should Bring Along Jordyn Tyson

Chris Olave caught seven passes for 98 yards in the New Orleans Saints’ 23-22 overtime win over Cleveland on Sunday, Nov. 8. That’s a good afternoon by itself. What made it more interesting was who else Tyler Shough had to throw to. Jordyn Tyson caught four passes in his NFL debut, and Barion Brown gave the Saints a gain of more than 50 yards. I came away wanting Kellen Moore to build around what Olave already does well and give the rookies chances to make his job easier. 

Olave’s seven catches moved him past Lance Moore for seventh on the Saints’ career receptions list, with 347. One of those catches mattered more to Sunday’s result than to the record book. With New Orleans trailing 13-9 in the fourth quarter, Olave hauled in a 36-yard pass on the drive that ended with Audric Estimé’s go-ahead touchdown. Shough went 4 of 5 for 53 yards on that possession.

That’s the kind of drive I want to see more often. Shough had a receiver he could trust for a big chunk of yardage, and the Saints still had enough answers to finish the drive on the ground. The question for Moore is how to give Shough that same confidence when a defense spends the week figuring out where Olave will be on the biggest downs.

Tyson finished with four catches for 30 yards after missing the first seven games with a hamstring injury. His first NFL reception ended in a lost fumble near the goal line. For the No. 8 overall pick, that’s a rough way to get the first catch out of the way. I was glad the ball still came his way afterward. He got three more chances to finish a catch and start building some trust with Shough. 

Against Carolina, I’d give Tyson a couple of early throws where he can catch the ball on the move. A crossing route underneath Olave would be a good place to start. If a defender follows Olave downfield, Shough can take the shorter throw and let Tyson work after the catch. And when Brown is on the field, his speed gives the deep safety another reason to stay back. Those are ways to give two rookies meaningful work while keeping the offense centered on its most productive receiver Sunday.

The Saints host Carolina at noon Central on Sunday, Nov. 15, at Caesars Superdome. New Orleans is 3-5 after its first home win of the season, and now it gets a division game in the same building. 

I’ll be watching third-and-5, especially after Olave has already made a couple of catches. If Carolina shades a defender his way, does Shough have a throw he trusts on the other side? I’d take a 6-yard catch from Tyson in that spot over a deep shot drawn up just to get the rookie a highlight. Make the defense pay for giving Olave extra attention, and the next time Shough needs his veteran receiver in the fourth quarter, he might find a little more room to get him the ball.