The Carolina Panthers have been one of the most inconsistent teams in football this year, but help could be on the way if all goes well for Greg Olsen in the coming weeks.
Olsen, who was placed on injured reserve after fracturing a bone in his foot in Week 3, is eligible to resume practicing next week. He plans to test out the surgically-repaired foot, though it will be another month before he can play in a game.
“I’m doing good. I’m starting to move around,” Olsen said Monday, via Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “Start progressing here and … hopefully start getting on the field and doing some stuff by next week. And just take that next step. Everything’s going well.
“We won’t really know a lot until you start really getting out there and moving around and running around and see how it responds. So far so good.”
There were some concerns that Olsen’s injury could be season-ending, but it does not sound like that will be the case. Assuming all goes well over the next few weeks, he could return to the field for Carolina’s game against the New York Jets on Nov. 26.
Olsen is the only tight end in NFL history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in three consecutive seasons. He has been Cam Newton’s favorite target for a while, which is one of the reasons his contract situation got a bit sticky during the offseason. With the Panthers coming off a loss to the Chicago Bears in which they were unable to score a single point, Olsen can’t get back fast enough.
