​New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough already has a clear vision for why rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson can fit alongside Chris Olave. During his appearance on Green Light with Chris Long, Shough spoke highly of Olave, praising him as a rare blend of speed, route discipline, and versatility. He then drew a comparison that Saints fans will be watching closely as training camp approaches: Tyson could share some of Olave’s crucial traits. “You add in a guy like Jordyn Tyson who’s kind of a carbon copy of him,” Shough said, highlighting Tyson’s feel for underneath routes and his big-play potential. That’s a meaningful endorsement from the quarterback charged with helping to turn the Saints’ revamped offense into a more explosive unit in 2026.
New Orleans used the No. 8 overall pick on Tyson, signaling that he’s a centerpiece part of the team’s plans around Shough and head coach Kellen Moore. The Saints already had a clear No. 1 target in Olave, but Tyson’s addition gives them the opportunity to craft a more flexible offense: two receivers who can win with separation, move across formations, and stress defenses at multiple levels of the field. Shough’s remarks are notable not for labeling Tyson as a pure speed option or solely an outside receiver, but for underscoring a broader, more versatile profile.
He started by explaining Olave’s value in Moore’s system. Shough called Olave “special” because he can handle option routes, overs, sails, and intermediate concepts while also possessing the speed to threaten defenses vertically with go routes and double moves. That versatility makes Olave difficult to pigeonhole. A defense can’t simply classify him as a finesse route-runner or a vertical-only target. Shough suggests Tyson could fit a similar mold. He described Tyson as possessing “that feel with these underneath routes” in addition to bringing “big playability.” That combination is precisely the kind of asset that can help a young quarterback flourish, providing answers when defenses sit in soft coverage while offering a weapon to punish overly aggressive corners or safeties who creep toward short routes.
That is the core value of the Olave comparison. Shough is not saying Tyson is Olave already; rather, he’s pointing to the potential for Tyson to develop an interchangeable skill set that complicates opposing defenses and gives the Saints more rotational options. For Moore, the fit is straightforward: if Olave and Tyson can win both inside and outside, the Saints won’t have to telegraph their intentions before the snap. They can move either player into the slot, deploy pre-snap motion to identify coverage, and engineer favorable matchups against linebackers and safeties. This kind of versatility is especially important for Shough, who notes how NFL passing concepts are far more nuanced than in college. He emphasizes that high-low concepts and common route combinations rarely run clean in the pros because defenders are too disciplined, making a flexible pairing like Olave and Tyson invaluable as the Saints aim to maximize their passing game in 2026.