Saints Passing Game Could Be By Committee Outside of Chris Olave

Having a young quarterback like Tyler Shough can be challenging for the New Orleans Saints because, as good as he was last season, he needs weapons around him to make his life easier, not only in the passing game but also out of the backfield.

New Orleans has already had its fair share of running back injuries and will also be without rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson early in the season. Tyson was expected to be a significant contributor in Year 1, even from the opening weeks of the season, so his absence suddenly puts a lot more pressure on not only Chris Olave to be even better than he’s been in the past as the clear WR1, but also the depth behind him.

Devaughn Vele is one of the players to circle over the first few weeks of the season. After finishing last year with only 25 catches for 293 yards and two touchdowns, he’s going to have to be much more involved in 2026. Vele did close last season strong and has some momentum entering the new campaign, but this receiver room suddenly doesn’t look nearly as deep without Tyson available.

Rookie Barion Brown is also expected to have an opportunity to produce in a tertiary role, but New Orleans may need contributions from several different players rather than relying on one receiver to completely replace Tyson.

That’s where the tight ends could become major alleviators of the pressure on Shough and ultimately make his life much easier. Juwan Johnson is clearly the TE1 and could very well be the Saints’ No. 2 receiving target behind Olave rather than one of the other wide receivers. He broke out last season with 77 catches for 889 yards and three touchdowns and established himself as one of the more productive receiving tight ends in the league.

The Saints also have Noah Fant, who sits second on the tight end depth chart but brings plenty of upside as a legitimate receiving threat rather than simply a blocking tight end. That gives New Orleans another option to lean on, particularly if the wide receiver depth struggles to consistently create separation without Tyson.

Ultimately, it could be receiver by committee outside of Olave until Tyson gets back, with Johnson and Fant potentially taking on even larger roles in the passing game. In the meantime, it’ll be a challenge for Shough to keep the offense moving with some of his supporting cast already depleted, especially with a difficult Week 1 road matchup against the Detroit Lions looming.