Carolina Panthers: It’s Too Soon to Cut Jonathan Stewart
The Carolina Panthers should not cut Jonathan Stewart just yet as the veteran can still add value to a recovering offense/
The Carolina Panthers have been a powerhouse as a running team for the past few seasons. Even after the departure of DeAngelo Williams, this unit continued to be a force when moving the ball on the ground. This offseason, the Panthers front office has the difficult decision to make as to whether or not to keep Jonathan Stewart on the roster. While some are toying with the idea of ending his tenure with the Panthers, he still has value with the team and in some ways it’s more prevalent heading into the next season.
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In 2017 Stewart had a very solid season, ending the year with 824 yards, his third highest total since becoming a pro in 2008. However, he was yet again unable to make it through the whole season without missing any games. He sat out a few times this year due to hamstring issues, continuing the trend that leads to the biggest complaint against him.
Stewart simply cannot stay healthy. Still, as a part of a struggling offense with a makeshift offensive line, Stewart managed a strong season to show that he has plenty left to contribute to this team.
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ESPN’s John Clayton is making the claim that the Panthers should release Stewart during the offseason. He stands on the facts that Stewart is nearing his 30th birthday and that his stats are on the decline. Plus, this NFL Draft is set to be a year full of strong candidates for future running backs. However, that move should not come at this point, but perhaps after this coming season.
The reason being is that Stewart offers a point of consistency and veteran leadership that is important to this offense. Right now, the team doesn’t have a lot of veteran experience on both sides of the ball. Right now Greg Olsen and Ryan Kalil are the best options to think of when talking about the leaders of this Panthers offense, outside of Stewart of course.
Carolina cannot take the risk of limiting their running attack while trying to find the man to replace Stewart. Cameron Artis-Payne was expected to be a contender for that spot, but he hasn’t panned out as a viable replacement. In fact, his contributions have declined since being brought to the league in the 2015 draft. Then there is veteran backup Fozzy Whittaker. While he’s a solid option to fill in and play multiple roles for the special teams unit, it’s hard to see any team making Whittaker their No. 1 option.
The Panthers own the No. 8 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and many experts have them picking running back Leonard Fournette from LSU. He’s a powerful back who has produced in the past. But is this the move that the Panthers want to make at this time? There are other issues that this team, specifically this offense, needs to correct.
For example, the ailing offensive line needs some immediate depth. Without that, not only will Stewart or Fournette have to work harder for their yards, but the Panthers may struggle with protecting Cam Newton for the second year in a row.
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Jonathan Stewart is a valuable member of this Panthers offense. While he may be headed towards the twilight of his career, it is too early for to release him. Instead, the Panthers should use one last year of service from Stewart to gauge their current options and make an eventual selection for the future.