The Carolina Panthers could be without Greg Olsen for a while after he broke his foot on Sunday. Olsen is a very good option in the flat for Cam Newton, but this injury presents a great opportunity for the Panthers to expand their offense. Olsen is an older guy who will not be around forever, and they may need to spread out their offense so that he is one of a lot of choices.
Kelvin Benjamin probably needs more touches, and Christian McCaffrey is a rookie sensation. What can the Panthers do to make their team that much better after losing their great tight end?
The Panthers are not dead yet
The team has a lot of young pieces and an improved defense. The Panthers can overcome this injury to Olsen, and they can do so by asking other players to do more. Cam Newton needs to stay in the pocket, but he has to have more people moving around in front of him. Newton should have McCaffrey running a lot of the routes that Olsen was running, and Benjamin should be stretching the field.
This team could become very potent on offense, and they have a chance to fix that problem right now. Catching up to the Falcons during this season is probably not possible, but the Panthers can get close to the Falcons in terms of explosiveness. These two teams hate each other a lot as it is, and this could add to their rivalry.
What if Olsen comes back?
It should feel like Christmas when Olsen comes back. He is a very good player, and he is good enough to make a difference as a third or fourth option. There is no reason to go to an older guy as a primary part of your offense after you have adjusted your style of play in his absence. Olsen could make a huge difference for this team if he is the last option on every down.
The teams that play the Panthers cannot cover everyone, and that leaves Olsen wide open. McCaffrey is a lethal player who will demand a lot of attention, and opposing secondaries have to close up to make sure that Benjamin cannot get past them.
Ron Rivera needs to show he can change
A quick shift by Ron Rivera to adjust his offense could help him keep his job even if the Panthers miss the playoffs. He has to prove to the front office that he knows how to adapt to the old players, young players who get hit a lot, and a quarterback who seems to be a bit prone to injury. Rivera will lose his job if this team has a bad season, but he can save himself by showing that he knows what to do with the pieces he has. This writer loves Greg Olsen, but Olsen may be too old to make a big impact on an offense that is so young. Allow him to come back to a new offense, please.