The Carolina Panthers have suffered some terrible luck at the running back position, and it all started this offseason with the injury to rookie running back Tyler Gaffney, who was poached away by the New England Patriots after being waived to the injured reserve. That injury didn’t matter much, though, especially compared to the multiple injuries (surprise surprise) sustained by RB Jonathan Stewart, the injuries to DeAngelo Williams, nagging issues for newcomer Fozzy Whittaker, and the hairline fracture to fullback Mike Tolbert that has led to a short-term injured reserve stay.
Cat Crave
Jonathan Stewart is certainly no stranger to injuries, and his latest ailment is a knee injury that caused him to miss the Week 4 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Despite somehow being rushed onto the practice field on Friday, he never had a chance at playing. That’s how I view his shot at playing this week, because despite the talk that he isn’t guaranteed to be ruled out, I absolutely cannot see the injury-prone RB being active.
According to the Charlotte Observer’s Joe Person, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera stated that he is “getting closer” to ruling out J-Stew formally for this week’s contest. Stewart is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry so far this season, so he needs to get healthy and stay consistent; there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most frustrating players in the league from an injury perspective.