Panthers tight end Greg Olsen should be good to go Sunday against the Jets.

Once activated off injured reserve, there is no medical reason he should be limited in his first game since breaking his right foot in Week 2 and undergoing surgery.

Olsen, who is expected to be reactivated from IR this week, may begin with limited targets and situational use as he works his way back into full football shape, but expect him to be effective. The 11-year veteran can use his body and wisdom and not rely on pure separation to be productive.

One thing to watch with Olsen is re-operation. A second surgery is required about 20 percent of the time when a player returns early from this injury.


The injury happens as there is an inherent lack of blood flow to this area and the added stress of cutting does not allow the body to repair itself quickly enough. The blood flow doesn’t change even after surgery, so healing must be carefully watched.

Olsen had a fifth metatarsal stress fracture, commonly called a Jones fracture. That means he had surgery with a screw down the shaft of the bone.

This injury most commonly occurs in wide receivers in the NFL. Dez Bryant, Julian Edelman and Sammy Watkins are recent examples. All had a second surgery after returning to play, but that second surgery came after finishing the season in which they returned.