The Carolina Panthers are on a mission to get younger this offseason, so it seemed like only a matter of time before they released veteran running back Jonathan Stewart.
On Wednesday, the Panthers officially announced the move. Head coach Ron Rivera thanked Stewart for his contributions to the team.
Just heard from Ron Rivera about this.
“Jonathan played the game the way you want. He brought an element of toughness as a runner that set the tempo for our team. He is a great pro and I appreciate who he is as a young man and thank him for him for the contribution he made.” https://t.co/jQOf8xdqVN
— Bill Voth (@PanthersBill) February 28, 2018
Stewart, 30, was drafted by Carolina in the second round back in 2008. He has rushed for 7,318 yards and 51 touchdowns during his 10-year career. Stewart was still a big part of the offense for the Panthers in 2017 and got 198 carries, but Carolina will likely look to lean on Christian McCaffrey more going forward and perhaps draft a running back who can be effective between the tackles.
