NFL PLAYER NEWS

Panthers TE Olsen out with broken foot

The Sports Xchange

September 17, 2017 at 5:44 pm.

Sep 17, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen (88) walks on crutches after an injury in the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium. Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Sep 17, 2017; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen (88) walks on crutches after an injury in the game against the Buffalo Bills at Bank of America Stadium. Photo Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Greg Olsen has been one of the most solid performers for the Carolina Panthers in recent seasons.

Now, one of the NFL’s most productive tight ends is out for an undetermined period after suffering a broken foot during the first half of Sunday’s 9-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

“It’s tough. I broke my foot, pretty straight forward,” Olsen said. “It’s tough for something like that to just happen.

“Obviously, it stinks, but I’ve been lucky in my career to not get injured a lot. So, this is going to be something that will take a little time, but sometimes that’s just part of the game.”

Olsen, an 11th-year pro, said it seemed like a freak injury that caused him to exit in the second quarter.

“I was running a route and I just stepped and I just fell,” he said. “I just felt something in my foot. I didn’t touch anybody. I didn’t get hit. It’s the way my foot went down. It just popped.”

Olsen, who has been selected for the Pro Bowl three consecutive seasons, said he’ll be evaluated Monday, when he hopes to be given a time frame for his return.

“This is the NFL and you just have to know the next man up,” Panthers quarterback Cam Newton said. “You’re tormented with something like that.”

Olsen is the only tight end in NFL history with three consecutive seasons of 1,000 or more receiving yards. He had 80 catches for 1,073 yards last year.

After playing in college for Miami, he began his career with the Chicago Bears. He played four seasons in Chicago before a trade to Carolina, where he has become a star.

Ed Dickson, an eight-year pro, has been Olsen’s backup, while second-year pro Chris Manhertz is another tight end on the roster. Dickson had two catches for 26 yards against the Bills.

“I have full faith that Ed is going to do his job,” Newton said.

Olsen has 52 career touchdown receptions.

Olsen, who made one catch for 10 yards in the first quarter Sunday, tried to put an encouraging spin on the situation.

“Yeah, I’m going to miss a lot of games,” he said. “Sometimes it is what it is, but we’re 2-0.”

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