Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen will be sidelined for six to eight games after suffering a broken foot in their 9-3 win over the Buffalo Bills Sunday. According to Panthers coach Ron Rivera, Olsen underwent surgery to repair his foot but did not give a timetable for his return. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport said Olsen will be sidelined for six to eight weeks and could be placed on injured reserve. However, Rapoport said the injury is not season-ending and Olsen will return in the latter part of the season. "I broke my foot. It's tough.
It sucks," Olsen told the team’s official site. He was expected to return to the game but he was carted back onto the field to start the second half while wearing a walking boot and using crutches.
Against the Bills, the Panthers’ offense coughed up just 178 passing yards and 77 rushing yards. Without Olsen, the Panthers will be hard-pressed in finding a replacement to make up for his loss. From 2014 to 2016, Olsen broke the 1,000-yard receiving mark on his way to three straight Pro Bowl appearances. The Panthers (2-0) will go on the road against the New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions before a home game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Texans release wideout
The Houston Texans announced that they have released third-year wide receiver Jaelen Strong, who played just 20 snaps and wasn’t targeted in their 13-9 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday.
Strong also missed Week 1 after serving a one-game suspension for violating the league’s anti-drug policy due to his February 2016 arrest on a marijuana possession charge. In 19 games with the Texans, Strong caught 28 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns.
A third-round pick by the Texans in 2015, Strong never made an impact in Houston due to his lack of conditioning.
However, his release further thinned the Texans’ depleted receiving corps. Bruce Ellington missed Week 2 due to a concussion while Will Fuller will be out for a few more weeks with a broken collarbone that he sustained last month. Texans rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson will have veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins and Braxton Miller as primary targets for the meantime.
Falcons’ Vic Beasley to miss a month
Rapoport said Atlanta Falcons pass rusher Vic Beasley will be out for a month due to a hamstring injury that he sustained in their 34-23 triumph over the Green Bay Packers. When asked about Beasley’s injury, Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said the pass-rusher will miss Week 3 but he did not specify a timeline on his return. Rookie Takk McKinley will temporarily take Beasley’s place.
