Running back Jonathan Stewart. (PHOTO: MATTHEW BRINKLEY / PANTHERS.COM)CHARLOTTE -- After grappling with a left foot problem throughout the season, running back Jonathan Stewart underwent surgery on Wednesday, announcing that he would undergo the procedure via his Twitter page.
Pain in Stewart's foot and Achilles tendon prevented him from practicing on Wednesdays throughout the 2009 season, but he managed to play in every game, just as he did in his rookie season. He also demonstrated in the season's final five weeks that he could handle primary running duties, averaging 20.4 carries per game, nearly double the 11.2-carries-per-week pace of his first 27 games.
With DeAngelo Williams out for three of the season's last five games with an ankle injury, Stewart made the first three starts of his career. He averaged 150.3 yards per game as a starter and more than doubled his season rushing total, gaining 589 yards in Weeks 13-17 after amassing 544 yards heading into December. The surge allowed him to slide past Williams to become the Panthers' leading rusher in 2009.
The procedure is not the first for Stewart. He underwent toe surgery a month before the Panthers selected him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, and didn't practice with the team until training camp three months later but was available for all 16 games that season
