Saints’ Chris Olave placed on IR after being carted off with concussion, will see specialist

A miserable season for the New Orleans Saints is only getting worse.

Perhaps the biggest blow for the Saints came Sunday when Chris Olave was stretchered off after a brutal hit.

Due to that injury, Olave was placed on injured reserve, so he’ll miss the team’s next four games, at least.

Saints quarterback Derek Carr found Olave streaking in the middle of the field and zipped the ball over the receiver’s head. Sandwiched between two Carolina Panthers defenders, Olave was hit and immediately fell to the field face down and barely moving.

Medical professionals rushed onto the field as the game was paused, and Olave was placed on a backboard and carted off the field.

Later, the Saints said Olave would be out for the remainder of the game with a concussion.

It’s been a tough season for Olave, who has taken numerous hits to the head. He left a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a hard shot to the head.

Olave will also be meeting with an independent concussion specialist to get further information about his history of brain injuries. He has had at least five documented concussions since 2020, four of which have come in the NFL, two of them this season alone.

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When he is on the field, Olave is a dangerous weapon. In 39 career games, he has 191 receptions for 2,565 yards and 10 touchdowns. He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in each of his first two seasons in the NFL.

Olave was the 11th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Ohio State in a stacked wide receiver class that featured former Buckeyes teammate Garrett Wilson and Jameson Williams. Other receivers taken that year include Christian Watson, Wan’Dale Robinson, George Pickens, Alec Pierce and Romeo Doubs. Jahan Dotson and Treylon Burks also have not exactly lived up to their first-round billing.

The Saints have now lost seven straight after a 2-0 start in which they scored a combined 91 points. Since then, they’ve scored 116, and their loss to the Carolina Panthers Sunday, in which Olave got hurt, led to the firing of head coach Dennis Allen.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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