At least one prominent NFC South player might not be ready for the start of training camp.

Carolina coach Ron Rivera told Joseph Person that running back Jonathan Stewart is progressing well in his recovery from surgery on both ankles in the offseason. But Rivera stopped short of saying Stewart will be ready to go when the Panthers report to training camp in just about two weeks.

Lots of people questioned why the Panthers didn’t trade or release DeAngelo Williams during the offseason. Instead, the Panthers restructured Williams’ contract to make it more cap friendly. Now, I think we’re seeing the reason why the Panthers are content to have a crowded backfield that also includes Mike Tolbert and rookie Kenjon Barner.

Stewart has had injury issues throughout his career. The Panthers are hoping he can get healthy, but they need to have other alternatives in place because the running game is going to be a very important part of their offense this year.