Brandin Cooks to Olave: Stay Ready, Stay Loyal Amid Trade Whispers
In March 2017, wide receiver Brandin Cooks was traded by the New Orleans Saints to the New England Patriots. Thus, Cooks knows a little bit about what teammate and fellow New Orleans wideout Chris Olave is going through amid rumors suggesting the Saints could deal Olave before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
On Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN shared that Cooks recently offered Olave advice regarding how to handle being mentioned in trade-related discussions during the season.
Chris Olave should view trade chatter as a "compliment"
"And the advice is things in the front office, you can't control," Cooks explained. "It's also a compliment when teams are calling for you and willing to offer whatever the case may be, so that should give you that confidence, that boost, that you're a top dog in this league because people are calling for you. Just control what you can control, go to work, be the best you can possibly be."
Olave hinted last week that he and the Saints had spoken about extending their working relationship. However, that was before New Orleans fell to 1-6 on the campaign. Olave is under contract through the 2026 season, so it's reasonable to think the rebuilding Saints would at least explore acquiring draft assets for the 25-year-old.
Per Terrell, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said during a Tuesday appearance on New Orleans' WWL Radio that he is "not in the business of trading away good players unless the deals are just too good to refuse." Such a comment could lead one to believe Loomis will take calls about Olave's availability.
The Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders are among the noteworthy teams that could use help at wide receiver. The New York Giants were previously linked with Olave but have since fallen to 2-5 on the season.
Why Chris Olave feels "blessed" despite uncertainty
A 2022 first-round draft pick, Olave has suffered four reported concussions as a pro. Thus, it's understandable he's simply grateful to be playing for any team this fall.
"We're blessed," Olave recently said. "It's not a common job. You can look at the record, you look at the negative stuff, but at the end of the day we're grateful to be healthy. Go out there and play for each other. I had a season-ending injury last year, so kind of changed my perspective on things. And even through the bad games, the good games, I'm just thankful to go out there and grateful to be able to have [that] opportunity."
As of Wednesday morning, Olave was on track to feature for the Saints in their home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) Sunday. On Wednesday, ESPN BET had New Orleans as a 3.5-point underdog for that contest.
1 Quiet Reason the Raiders' Offense Has Struggled This Season
The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has struggled this season for various reasons, mainly subpar play along the offensive line and at quarterback. However, the lack of playmakers at skill positions, for various reasons, have held the Raiders' offense back.
Raiders Rookies Must Improve
The Raiders invested a second-round pick into drafting Jack Bech, proving how much they believed in him before he ever put a Raiders jersey on. However, Bech must do his part and work through the growing pains only the Raiders' coaching staff knows about.
Bech and Dont'e Thornton were brought in to be two of those playmakers but have yet to make much of an impact. Bech's lack of playing time on an offense in desperate need of help at wide receiver speaks volumes about where Las Vegas' coaching staff believes he is developmentally.
“The more plays that we can log with the new guys, Jack [Bech] and Dont'e [Thornton Jr.], we can show them the things that they need to improve on and the things that they're not quite as sharp on. It helps them. And there's some pain in that too. There's some pain in there that we have to undergo. But it's how you do it,” Carroll said.
“By the time you get to the middle of the season, these guys should have things really cleaned up, and they should be ready to go and we can count on them and they can come through and not be error repeaters, you know? And that's what we're working hard at."
During the Bye Week, Raiders' Wide Receivers Coach Chris Beatty gave an update on the development of both of Las Vegas' wide receivers. If the Raiders can get Bech and Thornton up to speed quickly, it could alleviate some of the issues they are having on offense.
"Some ups and downs. We have got to be more consistent. Both of those guys are learning a lot. Theres good and bad in everything. First couple of games, Dont'e had an explosive play in every game," Beatty said.
"He has kind of fell back a little bit and some of the fundamentals, we have got to continue to build on. Same thing with Jack. They have done okay but there is a lot more out there. So, we will keep pushing them and getting the most out of them."
