Marlon Humphrey didn’t leave much mystery about Baltimore’s game plan for Week 2: make Chris Olave the priority, and force the rest of the New Orleans Saints to prove they can carry the passing game.
On Wednesday, the Ravens corner laid it out plainly when he said, "I think putting a cap on Olave is where it starts. If we can hold him to the lower side of receptions and yards, I think we have a good chance, then we have to deal with everyone else." Humphrey also zeroed in on Olave’s 47-yard catch as the spark behind the Saints’ offensive surge.
That kind of attention is no surprise after Olave’s opening statement. He erupted in Week 1 with 182 yards, a number that was impossible to ignore even before Baltimore started studying the tape. He’s coming off his best season and a second team All-Pro nod, and the Ravens are clearly treating him like the centerpiece of Tyler Shough’s passing attack.
Still, the matchup may not be as simple as blanketing Olave and calling it a day. Baltimore enters Week 2 with the fifth ranked passing defense in the league after one week, and Humphrey’s comments suggest the Ravens believe they have the bodies to make life miserable for New Orleans’ top target.
That said, the Saints can’t afford to lean on Olave alone if Baltimore succeeds in taking him away.
Devaughn Vele looks like the most obvious candidate to pick up the slack. He flashed in Week 1 with 7 receptions and showed enough big-play ability to suggest he can handle a larger role if the Ravens force the ball elsewhere. If Olave draws the extra attention Humphrey hinted at, Vele could be the beneficiary.
Baltimore’s personnel usage adds another wrinkle. Humphrey wasn’t deployed in the slot much in Week 1, even though he has often moved between the outside and inside.
With new head coach Jesse Minter installing a different system, that kind of shift isn’t a shock. If Minter sticks with the same approach, Saints receivers should expect Humphrey or Nate Wiggins on the boundary throughout the game.
That could push Kellen Moore toward the middle of the field, where matchups may be more appealing than chasing one specific wideout.
Juwan Johnson is another name to watch. He was quiet for most of the game before coming alive late, and Shough’s chemistry with him stood out even though Johnson didn’t record a catch until the final minute. Noah Fant, meanwhile, didn’t have that issue in his Saints debut, and the tight ends may end up playing a bigger role if Baltimore loads up on Olave.
The message from Humphrey was clear, and it leaves New Orleans with a simple challenge: if the Ravens are going to crowd Olave, somebody else has to make them pay.
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For the Saints, the appeal is obvious: a productive LSU rusher with the frame and movement skills to develop into something more if the rest of his game keeps coming along. There are still questions to answer, as there are with most young edge prospects, but the upside is enough to make him a legitimate draft watch as the 2027 NFL Draft approaches. If he keeps stacking performances like this, the Saints may not have to look far for a first-round conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Workout Just Turned Into A Bigger NFL Problem
The Saints recent workout scene came with a league-wide wrinkle after the NFL reminded clubs that defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and tight end DaeQuan Wright are off the board for the rest of this season. Both players had gone after additional eligibility at LSU, but neither appeared in a game, and that choice cost them the chance to circle back to the NFL before the year is done.
For New Orleans, it is a small note on paper but the kind that matters when teams are sorting through depth and trying to squeeze value out of every look. Harris and Wright will be eligible to sign with NFL teams next season without having to go back through the draft, but for now any club that had them on the radar has to move on and wait. [Read more 🡒]