Dennis Allen says Chris Olave in 'good spirits' following injury on touchdown catch

With the extra focus on player safety the last week in the NFL, the league had yet another scary moment today. New Orleans Saints rookie wide receiver Chris Olave left their 39-32 win over the Seattle Seahawks with a head injury suffered during a touchdown catch after being slung down by Coby Bryant.

After the game, Dennis Allen provided a positive update on the Saint’s first-round pick out of Ohio State.

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Dennis Allen said he hasn’t visited with Chris Olave yet but noted he was in good spirits after the game so that seems encouraging.

— Katherine Terrell (@Kat_Terrell) October 9, 2022

Olave exited after leading the wide receiver corps in targets and catches. He finished with four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown before his departure. While the initial look after the injury was anything but good, it sounds like Olave is doing okay as of now following the win.

New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave suffers apparent head injury on touchdown catch

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave suffered an apparent head injury while reeling in a catch on Sunday. The team has officially ruled Olave out for the rest of the game with a concussion.

Olave was the intended target for Saints quarterback Andy Dalton on third down inside the Seahawks’ 20-yard line. He caught the pass in the end zone and hit his head on the ground on the way down. It was called incomplete at first but officials reviewed the call and elected to rule Olave’s catch a touchdown.

The 11^th overall pick out of Ohio State in the 2022 NFL Draft, Olave is off to a hot start in his rookie season. Through four games, Olave had 335 yards and one receiving touchdown. Olave had 54 yards and a touchdown on four catches at the time of his injury.

“I’ve definitely got a lot of room (to grow),” Olave said of his early start to his NFL career, according to the team website. “I feel like I haven’t played my best game yet, I feel like I can clean up a lot of things. When I get targeted, I want to bring in every pass that’s thrown my way. I haven’t done that so far, but I’m getting better every week and that’s all that matters.”

Olave was a five-star prospect by the On3 college rating and the No. 11 overall prospect in his recruiting class. He did not disappoint at the college level either, becoming a star with the Buckeyes. Olave had 2,711 yards and 36 touchdowns over his four season with the Buckeyes. He was a Third Team All-Big Ten pick in 2019, and a First Team All-Big Ten pick in both 2020 and 2021.