Carolina Panthers: Greg Olsen out for remainder of Week 1 with foot injury

The Carolina Panthers lost a key target for Cam Newton in the first half with Greg Olsen leaving with a foot injury.

For the second straight year, the Carolina Panthers could be without tight end Greg Olsen for an extended period of time. The former Pro Bowl tight end left in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys with a foot injury.

The bad news is that this is the same foot he broke in Week 2 last season against the Buffalo Bills. He did return to the sidelines in the second half but had his foot in a boot and was on crutches, as seen in this picture by WFNZ.

No matter how much time Olsen misses, it will be a big blow to this Panthers’ offense. Prior to 2017, Olsen was one of the most consistent tight ends in the league. He had three straight Pro Bowl seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of those seasons.

If this is an injury that will force Olsen to miss a few weeks, the Panthers will need to figure out how to replace one of Cam Newton’s top targets. They don’t have the luxury of a veteran pass catcher like Ed Dickson.

However, the team did use a fourth round pick on Ian Thomas out of Indiana this past NFL Draft. Thomas is a big target that showed some flashes in the preseason with three receptions for 37 yards, including a 27-yard touchdown reception against the Miami Dolphins.

In the game today against the Cowboys, Thomas had two receptions for four yards through the first three quarters.

The other tight end on the roster, Chris Manhertz, has been with the team for a few years but is still relatively unknown. In 20 games with the Panthers, he has three receptions for 27 yards. He missed all of the preseason due to an injury but was active against the Dallas Cowboys.

While the boot on Greg Olsen doesn’t look good, hopefully the injury won’t force him to miss too much time this season.