Carolina Panthers aren’t easing in veterans Greg Olsen, Thomas Davis after missed time

Two Carolina Panthers veterans made their long-awaited return in Sunday’s 23-17 loss at Washington.

And coach Ron Rivera didn’t exactly ease them in.

Tight end Greg Olsen played in his first game since re-fracturing his foot in Week 1, and linebacker Thomas Davis played in his own personal “season opener” after a four-game suspension.

Olsen had four catches for 48 yards, including an 18-yard long in the fourth quarter as the Panthers tried to mount a comeback.

Davis had six tackles and defensed two passes, including one he could have intercepted. He smartly knocked it away instead, to give the Panthers better field position.

“I thought those guys brought some energy,” Rivera said. “I thought those guys played well. Both guys did exactly what we believed they can, and that was to make plays that contributed to this. Unfortunately, we didn’t pull it out at the end.”

Rivera said this week that Davis would likely be held to a “pitch count” throughout the game. And the team has exercised caution with Olsen after the injury, which is identical to the one he suffered in 2017.

But Olsen said after the game that he only missed one offensive snap, and felt pretty good in light of the circumstances.

Davis also didn’t miss much time on the defensive side.

“I was fine,” Davis said. “Conditioning wasn’t really an issue for me today. It’s really just getting back into the feel of understanding what’s going on around you, and understanding what teams are trying to do to you.

“That’s one of the things you just really have to get back into, the groove of playing football.”

This story was originally published October 14, 2018 at 7:40 PM.