The Panthers’ passing game will be getting its skill-position centerpiece back. Greg Olsen will be activated in advance of Carolina’s Week 12 game against the Jets, Ron Rivera said Friday (via Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, on Twitter).
Curtis Samuel will go on IR to make room on the roster.
Olsen has been out since Week 2 because of a fractured foot. The veteran tight end returned to practice just this week. The Panthers had a bye in Week 11. But after losing Samuel, the team will deploy another key pass-catcher — and its most reliable weapon of the past few seasons.
Olsen reeled off three straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2014-16, so the NFC South-contending team will be better suited to challenge the Saints now that the Pro Bowl pass-catcher is back in the mix.
Samuel finished his rookie season with 19 touches for 179 yards from scrimmage. He became a bigger part of the offense after the Kelvin Benjamin trade.