Should the Jaguars Consider Adding Ex-Panthers TE Greg Olsen?

One of the best tight ends of the 2010s suddenly became available Thursday when the Carolina Panthers and veteran tight end Greg Olsen parted ways. For the first time since 2010, Olsen could play for a different team.

Panthers and Greg Olsen mutually agree to part ways https://t.co/kPyh4lbaqc
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 30, 2020

Olsen is not the same caliber of player he was at his peak, which was one of the best runs by a tight end in recent memory, but could he still provide value to an organization? Recent history, and Olsen's reputation as a teammate and leader, suggests the answer could be yes.

After becoming the first tight end in league history to post three consecutive 1,000 receiving yard seasons from 2014-2016, Olsen missed 16 games from 2017-2018 due to a slew of injuries, raising the question of how much he had left in the tank.

But in 2019, the 13th-year veteran remained largely healthy (played in 14 games) and caught 52 passes for 597 yards and two touchdowns on a Panthers team that struggled offensively.

Those numbers aren't especially impressive for a starting tight end, of course. But when considering Olsen had 44 catches for 482 yards and five touchdowns in the previous two years combined, combined with the fact he had played the majority of a season for the first time in several years, it was a solid year.

Olsen, who will be 35 during the 2020 season, said Thursday he would keep his options open, so it doesn't appear that he is set on retiring.

If Olsen wants to keep playing, would it make sense for the Jacksonville Jaguars to pursue the veteran? There are a few different arguments to make to find the answer.

Why the Jaguars should pursue Olsen

To say the Jaguars lacked production at the tight end position in 2019 would be the understatement of the year. For context, here is how the Jaguars' entire tight end group last year, which saw seven different players make appearances, produced in comparison to Olsen's 14 games.

Greg Olsen	Jaguars' tight ends (seven players)
Catches: 52	Catches: 53
Yards: 597	Yards: 429
Touchdowns: 2	Touchdowns: 3

James O'Shaughnessy led the Jaguars' tight ends in all categories, though he didn't even play in six games due to an ACL injury in Week 5 which ended his season. His 14 catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns through four and a half games is the best a tight end produced all season, with no other tight end cracking 150 yards or catching more than one touchdown.

Because of the issues in 2019, the Jaguars' outlook at tight end for 2020 is murky at best.

Rookie Josh Oliver only played in four games due to injuries and failed to carve out a role in the offense, so the Jaguars still don't really know what they have in him. Betting on Oliver to make a big impact in 2020 would be risky, even if the team was high enough on him to draft him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

O'Shaughnessy is going to recovering from an ACL injury so quickly he can return and play at the level he was in 2019 is a question as well. Behind then, Geoff Swaim, Charles Jones, Seth DeValve, and Ben Koyack don't instill much confidence, while Nick O'Leary is a depth player at best.

This leaves the door wide open for a tight end to come into Jacksonville and produce. If Olsen feels as if he has another year left, and if he can remain healthy, he could be an intriguing player to add. Aside from what he can do on the field, Olsen is also much more experienced than any other tight end on Jacksonville's roster, which has no tight end older than 27, and Oliver is only 22. Olsen could theoretically serve as a mentor for the room and provide a veteran presence the team has missed since Marcedes Lewis.

Why the Jaguars shouldn't pursue Olsen

The obvious downside to attempting to add Olsen is where he is at in this stage of his career. He would be the oldest player on the roster, and while there is value in veteran experience, you have to balance it vs. the upside of developing younger talent.

If the Jaguars opted to instead draft a tight end at some point and coach them up as opposed to adding a veteran who is on the backside of his career, it wouldn't be hard to blame them. History may even be on their side.

Oliver specifically is a player the Jaguars likely don't want to take too many snaps away from in 2020. There was real excitement around the athletic pass-catcher before a hamstring injury in training camp derailed his rookie season. The Jaguars invested a top-100 pick in Oliver and got no return on investment in 2019, so they are going to want to see what exactly they have in him sooner than later.

Final takeaway

The Jaguars can't afford to not add to the tight end position in some fashion this offseason, so the real question is exactly how the Jaguars want to address it. They could go the route of drafting a tight end and asking them to make an impact early on in their career, but with general manager Dave Caldwell and Doug Marrone needing to win in 2020, it remains to be seen if they are willing to have that kind of patience.

For that reason, it would be hard to blame the Jaguars for signing a veteran to make an instant impact. If the Jaguars don't want to break the bank on one such as Austin Hooper or Hunter Henry, then a player like Olsen makes sense.

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