New Orleans Saints: 3 best offseason additions in 2022

A year ago, the New Orleans Saints missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016. Can the team get back on the postseason track? A 5-2 start a season ago morphed into a 9-8 showing. And as it turned out, it proved to be the final season for Sean Payton as head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

But that doesn’t mean that this organization could be destined for some tough times. There is still plenty of talent on this roster on both sides of the football. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has been promoted to head coach and he has spent considerable with this franchise (2 different tenures) for more than 10 years.

Likewise offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael. A year ago, he and the Saints had to adjust to life without Drew Brees on the roster.

This offseason, the team added some veteran talent as well as five players in the draft – including a pair of first-round selections. And the following three performers figure to make their share of plays this upcoming season. The Saints’ 2022 season kicks off Sunday at Atlanta.

New Orleans Saints top offseason pickup no. 3: WR Chris Olave (Ohio State)

It’s not as if the organization hasn’t hit the jackpot in the past with a wideout from Ohio State. And the Saints are hoping history repeats itself. Back in 2016, the club used a second-round selection on Buckeyes’ standout Michael Thomas.

This year, New Orleans’ general manager Mickey Loomis used the 11th overall pick in April on highly-regarded Chris Olave. He caught a somewhat modest 175 passes in four seasons with the school. But in those 38 games, he scored an impressive 35 touchdowns – 13 of those trips to the end zone. And Olave wasn’t the only newcomer to the Saints’ receiving corps this offseason.