It wasn't the prettiest sight to see a season ago, but the New Orleans Saints had one big bright spot offensively, wide receiver Chris Olave. 

Olave had to navigate through some rough quarterback territory courtesy of Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton, but he managed to register over 1,000 yards as a rookie. 

Entering his second season, Olave already has plenty of positives to build on and take his game to the next level, and now he has the most important ingredient at his disposal that could take him to stardom in Year 2.

Olave was one of the league's best rookie wideouts last season, producing no matter who the Saints' quarterback was. He finished with 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns, ending up fourth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting. He joined Danny Abramowicz (1967) as only the second Saints player to lead the team in receptions, receiving yards and yards per catch in his rookie campaign

Leading all rookies in receiving yards per game (69.5), Olave should have better numbers in Year 2 with Derek Carr as his quarterback. Life will also be much easier if Michael Thomas is healthy. –Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports 

If Thomas can stay healthy, Olave will get to have defenders on a string in a lot of one-on-one opportunities. Olave was not only one of the best outside receivers last season, but he also flourished against zone coverage, and his exceptional route running certainly helped with that. 

They haven't been teammates long, but Olave and Carr have started to build some chemistry in the limited reps they've taken together. 

“He loves to work, he keeps his head down, doesn’t say much until it’s time,” Carr said after an OTA practice. "He went up there, got the ball, and we’re just building on that. Watching him run, it’s been a treat, him and Rashid (Shaheed) can fly, and not only can they fly, they can run routes and play football, so it’s fun for me to watch."

All this bodes well for another productive season for Olave in 2023.

Saints’ playmaker inspired by former first-round pick

He picked a good one.

Feature image via Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports