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The Carolina Panthers are out to an encouraging start to the season coming off a Week 4 bye after winning two of their first three games out of the gate. They've done so without veteran tight end Greg Olsen, who broke his foot back in Week 1.
But despite some optimism that Olsen would make it back for their Week 5 matchup against the New York Giants after he made his return to practice this week, that doesn't appear to be the case.
The #Panthers have ruled TE Greg Olsen (foot) out this week, but his presence on the practice field means there is a chance at next week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2018
Despite being ruled out for this week, the fact that Olsen has progressed to the point of returning to the field and practicing for the first time since suffering the injury is obviously a significant step. It speaks to how quickly his recovery has gone that he had even the slightest shot at playing against the Giants.
Given his age and the fact that he's broken the same foot twice in two years, the Panthers are likely just taking extra precaution with Olsen. They don't need to take any unnecessary risks in terms of his health and rush him back if he's not completely ready to make it back just yet. They can afford to take their time and hold him back another week.
But because Olsen has made it back to practice, it has become quite clear that he will have a good chance to make his return to the field for the Panthers' Week 6 contest against the Washington Redskins. His return will be a major boost Panthers' offense as Olsen has been Cam Newton's primary target in the passing game throughout his tenure with the franchise.
