The Carolina Panthers were without a pair of key veterans at practice on Tuesday. Stalwart tight end Greg Olsen and pass-rusher Bruce Irvin were held out of team activities as a result of nagging minor injuries, per Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper.
Olsen hurt his back during Carolina's season-opening 30-27 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the season-opener. He had four catches for 36 yards on nine targets from Cam Newton. Though he plans to play on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Olsen admitted on Tuesday that the short week made his recovery status “less than ideal” heading in to Week 2, per team beat reporter Max Henson.
A 12-year veteran, Olsen has been a consistent presence for the Panthers since being traded from the Chicago Bears in July 2011. He made the Pro Bowl three years running in 2014, 2015, and 2016 before injuries limited him to just 16 combined games over the past two seasons. In 2018, Olsen had 27 catches for 291 yards and four scores in nine games, catching a career-best 71.1 percent of his targets.
Irvin, meanwhile, missed the opener with a hamstring injury. He was healthy throughout training camp and the preseason but tweaked his hamstring during the lead up to Week 1, robbing the Panthers of one of their most accomplished edge defenders. The 31 year old is reportedly unlikely to play on Thursday night.
Irvin signed a one-year deal with the Panthers in March. He spent the previous two seasons of his career with the Oakland Raiders after first establishing himself as an impact player with the Seattle Seahawks.
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