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Tag: Chris Olave

  • Bills making strong push for $35 million standout WR

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    Amid a handful of significant needs across the roster ahead of the NFL‘s Nov. 4 trade deadline, the Buffalo Bills are honing in on a No. 1 wide receiver for superstar quarterback Josh Allen.

    Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Saturday, that Buffalo has someone in mind and has made recent overtures as to his availability.

    “The Bills were one of the teams that inquired in recent weeks about Saints WR Chris Olave,” Russini wrote. “New Orleans is still expected to retain its top wideout.”

    New Orleans is 1-7 with four of its next five games on the road and recently made a switch under center from Spencer Rattler, who has played competently this season, to rookie quarterback Tyler Shough. All of that points to the Saints embracing the notion that their 2025 season is going into the tank ahead of next year’s draft.

    Read More: NFL Announces Punishment for Bills Star Before Chiefs Game

    Olave is in the fourth and final year of his $19.3 million rookie contract, though New Orleans exercised its team-option on that deal for a fifth season in 2026 that will pay Olave $15.5 million — upping his five-year NFL earnings to just shy of $35 million total.

    Following the 2026 campaign, Olave will hit unrestricted free agency unless the Saints employ the franchise tag to keep him around for another season at what would be an impossibly high number, even despite his level of talent.

    Thus, Olave is a reasonable trade candidate over the next few days. If the team doesn’t move him before November 4, there will likely be talk of trades during the offseason and ahead of next year’s mid-season deadline, unless the Saints have a New England Patriots-like turnaround in just a single cycle.

    Olave, 25, is probably worth an early Day 2 draft pick, even despite multiple concussion issues and missing nine games in 2024. He tallied more than 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two NFL seasons and has produced 52 catches for 503 yards and three touchdowns through eight games this season.

    Read More: Josh Allen Admits Reality of Playing Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

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  • Ohio State, Georgia reloaded after losing stars to NFL draft

    Ohio State, Georgia reloaded after losing stars to NFL draft

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    ATLANTA — Only months after Georgia defensive linemen and Ohio State wide receivers combined to fill five first-round slots in the NFL draft, those positions again boast top talent for the teams preparing to meet in the College Football Playoff Peach Bowl semifinal.

    Georgia had three defensive linemen, including No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker, selected in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. Ohio State had wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave chosen with the 10th and 11th picks, respectively.

    Despite those important losses, Saturday night’s Peach Bowl will showcase evidence that No. 4 Ohio State and No. 1 Georgia reloaded with more star players.

    Wide receiver again is a strength for the Buckeyes as two players, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, have more than 1,000 receiving yards. Quarterback C.J. Stroud said Harrison and Egbuka showed their talent even when they had to play behind Wilson and Olave.

    “I’m not saying they’re better than Garrett and Chris, but they were playing really good to be freshmen,” Stroud said. “And I think when you come in with that type of attitude, I am not just going to be here to learn. I am going to be here to dominate. That’s when you learn and that’s when you become a great player. So it hasn’t been overnight.”

    The ability to reload with two 1,000-yard receivers is especially impressive because Ohio State lost AP Preseason All-American Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who will miss the game as he recovers from a leg injury and prepares for the 2023 NFL draft. Smith-Njigba is projected as a possible first-round pick even though he was hurt in the Buckeyes’ opener against Notre Dame and played in just two other games.

    Georgia coach Kirby Smart said Stroud is a key to Ohio State’s success at wide receiver.

    “It is great quarterback, great system, great coaches, great receivers,” Smart said Thursday. “They’ve come up under … first-rounders. Those kids watched those guys before them play.”

    Harrison Jr. was an AP first-team All-American. The sophomore leads the Buckeyes with 72 catches for 1,156 yards and 12 touchdowns.

    “I think what makes Marvin special is his discipline and his skill,” said Ohio State coach Ryan Day. “He’s built a tremendous amount of discipline in his life, takes care of his body, prepares at a high level, just unbelievable amount of discipline, the way that he runs his routes. His work ethic is unbelievable.”

    Meanwhile, Georgia reloaded after leaning on its defense to win the 2021 national championship. After having Walker and two defensive tackles, Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, taken in the first round of this year’s draft, the Bulldogs’ 2022 defensive front is led by Jalen Carter, also projected as a high first-round pick.

    Carter also was named to the AP All-America team.

    “Very good player,” Day said when asked about Carter. “Disrupts the game, and their entire front is really good and so is their back end. They really don’t have any weaknesses on defense. They’re very, very good, and you can see why they’re ranked one of the best in the country. They do a good job, and he is very good as well.”

    Carter helped Georgia rank second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 12.8 points per game. Ohio State ranks second in scoring with 44.5 points per game.

    “I’m very confident in the talent we do have on offense, and I feel like when it comes to us playing any team in the nation, I feel confident with our guys and our ability to sling the rock,” Egbuka said.

    Georgia had a record five defensive players selected in the first round and 15 players picked overall in the 2022 NFL draft. Linebacker Quay Walker, selected by Green Bay, and safety Lewis Cine, by Minnesota, were the Bulldogs’ other first-round picks.

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    AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap—top25

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  • Banged-up Saints likely to start Dalton at QB

    Banged-up Saints likely to start Dalton at QB

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    New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen declined to name a starting quarterback for Thursday night’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, although signs point to Andy Dalton making his fourth straight start of the season.

    “I think we’ll just wait ’til game time,” Allen said.

    Allen ruled out wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry, cornerback Marshon Lattimore, guard Andrus Peat and tight end Adam Trautman. Rookie wide receiver Chris Olave said earlier in the week that he had passed through concussion protocol and would play Thursday.

    Allen said earlier in the week that quarterback Jameis Winston is not 100 percent healthy and won’t play until he has recovered from a back injury that has lingered since Week 1. Although Winston has returned to practice, he’s still limited as he works his way back from injury.

    Dalton, who was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, is dealing with a back injury suffered in Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but says he feels good to go.

    “Obviously short week, so there’s just little things you have to deal with,” Dalton told the media in a post-practice interview Wednesday.

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