The Saints had a brief scare with Chris Olave at practice Tuesday, but the early concern may have eased quickly.
Katherine Terrell of ESPN reported that Olave went down while trying to make a catch near the end of practice, then got up slowly and did not finish the session. He walked along the sideline with athletic trainers and left practice with just a few plays remaining.
That kind of scene is enough to make any Saints fan hold their breath, especially with New Orleans already dealing with Jordyn Tyson being sidelined for much of the upcoming 2026 season and potentially unavailable through the Saints’ Week 8 bye. With Tyson expected to miss the first few weeks at minimum, Olave is set to carry a heavy load.
But Kellen Moore offered a more reassuring update after practice. Terrell reported that Moore said Olave landed hard on his back, then added that the receiver “got the wind knocked out of him.” Moore was also asked whether there was any further testing or reason for concern and said the medical staff did not mention anything further.
For a player with Olave’s injury history, any trip to the ground is going to set off alarms. Still, this one appears to have ended better than it looked in the moment.
Olave is coming off the best season of his career, with 100 catches for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns last year, all career highs. He’s lined up to be a major piece again in 2026 with Tyler Shough, and the Saints got at least one bit of good news Tuesday: this injury scare does not seem to be serious.
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The clause in the deal gives the Saints a path to void injury guarantees if Olave is no longer cleared to play because of concussions or respiratory pulmonary embolism, two issues he has dealt with before. He was cleared for training camp before agreeing to the extension, which helped move the process forward, but the language underscores how much caution still surrounds one of the team's top offensive pieces. For New Orleans, the commitment is substantial, and so is the protection built into it. [Read more 🡒]
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Rejzohn Wright had already landed on injured reserve earlier in the week, leaving the Saints to juggle one more round of attrition at exactly the wrong time. Because players placed on injured reserve before final roster cuts are not eligible to return this season, the injuries effectively ended both Chandler and Matavaos chances of making an impact in 2026, turning a depth battle into a search for replacements. [Read more 🡒]
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For the Saints, the move is a reminder that the backfield picture may have been shakier than it looked on the surface. White arrives with a chance to compete in a room that needed more answers, and the trade suggests New Orleans was willing to act before the cutdown crunch made those decisions for them. Jones, meanwhile, was likely headed toward release as well, which is why this reads less like a splashy transaction and more like two teams quietly solving a problem at the same time. [Read more 🡒]