Greg Olsen's Foot Injury Diagnosed as Ruptured 'Planter,' Out for Rest of Season

Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen suffered a foot injury Sunday during the team's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that has ended his 2018 season.

According to ESPN's David Newton, Olsen ruptured the "planter" on his right foot, which is severe enough to be season-ending. Olsen further explained the injury, via Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer:

Olsen is one of the NFL's most consistently productive tight ends when healthy. He registered three straight 1,000-yard campaigns for Carolina starting in 2014 and scored at least five touchdowns in every season from 2008, when he was with the Chicago Bears, through 2015.

Injuries have prevented him from making much of an impact over the past two seasons, though. He was limited to seven appearances last year because of foot problems. Although he returned for the start of the current season, he suffered another foot injury in the season opener.

If the latest setback forces him back out of the lineup, Ian Thomas should once again receive most of the snaps with the first-team offense. It will also create additional opportunities for Chris Manhertz, especially in short-yardage situations.

Ultimately, the Panthers offense doesn't feature quite as much upside when Olsen is hurt because he's a matchup problem for opposing defenses. The unit has gotten used to playing without him recently, however, so it's not uncharted territory.