With Hosea Gear and Kade Poki both going overseas at the end of the season and Declan O'Donnell injured before the season even started, the franchise needs to find some replacements on the outside flanks.
Highlanders general manager Roger Clark said yesterday Osborne was one player they were considering but there were others.
''There is no surprises in that. In outside backs we have to bolster our stocks because we have lost both Hosea and Kade from last year,'' Clark said.
''But he is only one player we are looking at and nothing has been signed yet.''
Osborne was brought in by the Chiefs last season after he had been part of the Crusaders in 2012, but did not take the paddock.
The 26-year-old Osborne was born in Fiji and made his debut in 2010 for Canterbury but has been hampered somewhat by injury. He missed most of last year's ITM Cup with a broken collar bone.
He had only limited game time with the Chiefs this year as they preferred Lelia Masaga and Asaeli Tikoirotuma on the flanks.
Osborne is a big solid winger but is prone to injury and has some handling issues.
However, with plenty of wings heading overseas, the cupboard for outside backs is fairly bare. The Highlanders have only Buxton Popoali'i in the wing department from the squad that was named for last season.
They drafted Tino Nemani into the squad mid-season but he struggled and is unlikely to be welcomed back into the team with any haste.
Meanwhile, the identities of Jamie Joseph's assistant coaches at the Highlanders should be known at the end of the month but Clark does not envisage any changes.
Former Sharks coach John Plumtree is off the wish list after he announced he was off to join the Ireland coaching team under new head coach Joe Schmidt.
Plumtree, who was dumped as Sharks coach after six years in charge, told the Stuff website last week Joseph had sounded him out.
But Plumtree said he could not come back because he had already made the commitment to Ireland. Clark said yesterday Plumtree and Joseph knew each other well but nothing official would have been tabled to the former Sharks coach. Joseph could not be contacted yesterday.
Plumtree and Joseph have an association, with Plumtree calling Joseph in to help coach the forwards for Wellington when Joseph returned from Japan. That was Joseph's first foray into coaching.
Highlanders bosses have always said Joseph is the man to coach the Highlanders and Clark said yesterday the review of the season was continuing.
''That review had pointed out a number of things that we have to change and we are going about that. One of those is the selection of players and that is what we are doing.''
He said the assistant coaches were still contracted for another year and he did not envisage any changes.
Jon Preston and Scott McLeod joined the side as assistant coaches this season and are contracted for another year.
Even if the franchise wanted to get rid of them, it might struggle, as it would face a hefty bill to pay out their contracts.