Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen told reporters in the locker room that he broke a bone in his foot in the first quarter versus the Buffalo Bills of Week 2.

This is a big blow to the offense. Olsen is a threat on any given play and most certainly the focal point of Carolina’s offense. His loss leaves a hole at the tight end position.

The Panthers have only two others on the roster: veteran incumbent Ed Dickson and second-year development piece Chris Manhertz, who does not have a career reception.

What are the Panthers to do? Well, they have a few options. Let’s go over them.

Option 1: Promote FB Alex Armah, play TE by committee

In the preseason, the Panthers decided to part ways with both of their fullbacks, leaving reserve tight end Ed Dickson to play the quasi-fullback position on the first-team offense. Dickson is a competent blocker in the run game and seems to fit the position well. With his versatility, the team can use him as a lead blocker or send him on a route out of the backfield.

With Dickson now slotted to be the No. 1 tight end, the fullback position is empty. Due to only having three tight ends on the roster, one of whom is injured, there is room for one backup tight end and no one to play fullback.

Rookie fullback Alex Armah is on the practice squad and waiting to step up. If the team decides to promote him, this leaves the two natural tight ends to play the position by committee.

Option 2: Promote rookie TE Bucky Hodges

Rookie tight end Bucky Hodges is a raw player and far from a complete project, but he may get an opportunity earlier than some thought. It’s notable that the team has only carried three tight ends on the roster once in the past five years, and with Olsen’s injury it is currently down to two.

With Olsen down for six weeks at minimum, the rookie tight end to get an earlier chance than initially thought. It’s an exciting thought, especially when you review what a good receiver he was in college. But hold your horses; he has much to work on as a run blocker, and may be a problem if he has to play any meaningful snaps.

Option 3: Sign a free agent

Finally, there are a multitude of free agent tight ends available. None of them are enticing, but a few are potentially serviceable replacements.

Here are three different options by tiers.

Tier 1 – Gary Barnidge

Barnidge first comes to mind when the topic of free agent tight ends come up. The 31-year-old had a career resurgence with the Browns in 2015, catching 79 passes for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns, but the fact remains he is on the downturn of his career.

In 2016, he made 55 receptions for 612 yards and two touchdowns. In 2017, he was released by the Browns after drafting rookie David Njoku. Barnidge recently met with the Texans, who elected not to sign him despite only one healthy tight end on their roster.

Barnidge’s ceiling isn’t very high, but it’s still better than the other options out there.

Tier 2 – Tim Wright

Wright is a journeyman tight end who has been trying to find the magic of his rookie season. In Year 1, Wright posted 54 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns. Following his that, he was traded to the New England Patriots, where he had fewer catches and yards but a career-high six touchdowns. It has been all downhill from there.

Wright is an experienced tight end with a small amount of potential. He would immediately become the second tight end on the depth chart, since he is much more game-ready than Chris Manhertz.

Tier 3 – Eric Wallace

The only reason the Panthers would consider signing Wallace is his familiarity with the offense. Wallace spent last year on the practice squad after training camp before he was beat out by Manhertz for a roster spot. Wallace would be the No. 3 tight end on the roster and might only see the field if another disaster happens, but it’s better than nothing.