NFL PLAYER NEWS

Panthers TE Olsen to miss 6 to 8 weeks

The Sports Xchange

September 18, 2017 at 12:47 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

Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen underwent surgery on his broken right foot Monday morning and is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

The Panthers will determine after the surgery whether Olsen will be placed on injured reserve with the expectation he would return later in the season, a team source told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

The 32-year-old Olsen was injured during the first half of Sunday’s 9-3 home-opening victory over the Buffalo Bills.

“Broke my foot. Pretty straightforward. X-ray was pretty conclusive,” Olsen said after the game. “It’s tough for something like that to just happen. Obviously it sucks, but I’ve been very lucky in my career to not get injured a lot. This is something that obviously will take a little bit of time, but sometimes that’s just a part the game.”

Olsen came out in the second half on crutches and wearing a walking boot on the foot. He made one catch for 10 yards in the first quarter Sunday

Olsen 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.”

The 6-foot-5, 255-pound Olsen, who is in his 11th NFL season, has been selected to the Pro Bowl three consecutive years.

Olsen 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,” Olsen 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 had started 82 consecutive games, 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 and has 52 career touchdown receptions.

The Panthers added $2 million in incentives to Olsen’s contract before the start of the season based on receptions, receiving yards and postseason honors.

Olsen began his career with the Chicago Bears after being a first-round pick in 2007 out of Miami. He played four seasons in Chicago before being traded to Carolina in 2011.

Ed Dickson, an eight-year veteran, 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.

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