6 years agoThis is Greg Olsen’s ninth year in Carolina and his 13th overall. Since he became a starter in 2009, he has been consistently on the field, rarely missing time due to injury or otherwise. That changed in 2017 though when he fractured his foot in Week 2. He played seven games in 2017 and then nine in 2018 after he suffered a fracture in the same foot as well as a rupture of his plantar fascia. Olsen is healthy once again heading into 2019 and Cam Newton has one of his favorite targets back. During Olsen’s absence though, Christian McCaffrey has cemented himself as one of the most dangerous dual-threat running backs in the NFL. The Carolina offense flows through him and opposing defenses know it. With this being said, it may be tough for Olsen to return to the numbers he put up before McCaffrey’s breakout. In the 16 games, Olsen has started since McCaffrey has been with the Panthers, he has 44 receptions, 482 yards, and 5 TDs. That averages out to just under three rec/game and 30 yds/game. In addition, the Panthers used their first-round pick on D.J. Moore last year and their second-round pick on Curtis Samuel the year before so these two could enjoy a greater target share. Simply put, the Panthers just don’t need to rely on Olsen as much anymore. He’ll enjoy red zone looks as Newton trusts the veteran out of Miami but don’t expect top-5 TE numbers from Olsen. He should be a low TE1 or high TE2 by year’s end if his Lisfranc injury doesn’t reoccur.--Aaron Burger