Greg Olsen wants to continue playing in the NFL. It won’t be with the Panthers, though. They released him last month. Since then, he’s been working as an XFL analyst and has meetings set up with the Bills, Redskins and Seahawks.

Replacing Olsen won’t be easy for general manager Marty Hurney. However, there are several high quality tight ends who are about to hit the market. Our next potential 2020 free agent target is Hunter Henry.

Career stats:

Henry played college ball at Arkansas, then the Chargers picked him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. So far, Henry has appeared in 41 games, totaling 136 catches, 1,709 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. He was named to the All-Rookie team in 2016, when he caught eight.

Pros:

If the Panthers are looking for a clone of Olsen, Henry is about as close as they’re going to get. The two are almost the exact same size and Henry has the same soft, reliable hands. His career catch rate is 71.2% and he’s consistently moved the chains, posting 98 first downs. Henry can also help fill Carolina’s need for a new red zone weapon, which is even worse now that Olsen is out of the picture.

Cons:

The big question mark with Henry is his health. He missed the entire 2018 season due to a torn ACL. He also missed four more games this past season due to a tibia plateau fracture. Another major knee injury could seriously limit what he is able to accomplish in his career.

Probability: Medium

Only Hurney could tell you what his interest level is, but on the surface Henry seems to be an excellent fit to replace Olsen. The x-factor will be his price tag, which could be effected in a major way by new contracts for players like Austin Hooper and Eric Ebron.

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