Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera made it clear Thursday that the decision to cut veteran running back Jonathan Stewart was not easy for him.
But he doesn’t have much time to mourn. Rivera and his staff now must decide how to replace Stewart, who was released Wednesday in a cost-cutting move that created almost $4 million in salary cap room.
Stewart, who turns 31 this month, had a power-run style made him a face of the franchise for 10 seasons. But replacing him might not necessarily mean getting another traditional workorse back.
Head coach Ron Rivera indicated at the NFL scouting combine on Thursday that he’d like to find a back with a dynamic skill set to work in tandem with pass-catching back Christian McCaffrey.