Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen is expected to be back in the lineup for Sunday’s game at the Washington Redskins.
The Panthers officially listed Olsen as questionable for Sunday’s game, but coach Ron Rivera expressed confidence that the veteran tight end will be on the field against the Redskins.
Rivera told the Charlotte Observer on Friday that Olsen would have been listed as probable if the league still used such an injury designation.
Olsen practiced fully Thursday for the first time since he suffered a fractured right foot in a season-opening 16-8 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Olsen missed nine games last season with a similar injury to the same foot. However, the screw that was placed in his foot to help the injury heal prevented this break from being as problematic.
Olsen had two catches for 33 yards in the opener before the injury. Last , he had 17 receptions for 191 yards in just seven games.
The 33-year-old Olsen went over 1,000 yards receiving for three straight seasons from 2014-16, earning Pro Bowl honors each year. He had 241 catches and 16 touchdowns in that span, including a career-best 84 receptions in 2014.
A first-round pick (No. 31 overall) of the Chicago Bears in the 2007 NFL Draft, Olsen is in his 12th year overall and eighth season with the Panthers.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Olsen had started all 16 games in five consecutive seasons before suffering the foot injury in 2017. He has 639 receptions for 7,556 yards and 53 touchdowns in 165 career games.
Carolina is off to a 3-1 start despite the absence of Olsen.
