Carolina Panthers: Presence of DeAngelo Williams Should Make Decision to Rest Jonathan Stewart an Easy One

By Bear Heiser
Senior Writer

Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart was carted off the field Sunday night after injuring his ankle, but for now, the injury isn’t thought to be something that will sideline him for an extended length of time.

There seems to be some question of whether the injury is a high-ankle sprain or just a sprain. The former would be much worse for Stewart and the Panthers, as high sprains generally take four weeks or more to recover from.

Head coach Ron Rivera said he doesn’t believe it’s a high-ankle sprain, but announced that Stewart will not play in Carolina’s preseason finale on Thursday night. He probably wouldn’t have played anyway—injury or no injury.

The main goal for the Panthers is to get Stewart back by Week 1 on Sept. 9, but that could be a pipe dream at this point. Running backs can’t cut as quickly when they are suffering from ankle injuries. The speed won’t be there, either. So benching Stewart for a few weeks would probably be a good idea, especially considering the Panthers have DeAngelo Williams roaming the backfield.

Stay tuned for more on the health of Stewart’s ankle.

Follow Bear on Twitter: @BearHeiser

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