Jonathan Stewart's first carry in the Carolina Panthers' 47-3 win against the Washington Redskins Saturday night was a burst up the middle for 12 yards.

Shortly thereafter, Stewart ripped off a 13-yard run.

Then came a 50-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that showed Stewart's ability to break tackles at the line of scrimmage and his breakaway speed once he bounced outside.

By the time his night ended early in the third quarter, Stewart had an even 100 yards on 10 carries.

It was Stewart's first extensive action in a preseason game, and it was a glimpse into why the Panthers selected him with the 13th pick in the NFL Draft last April. It was even more impressive because Stewart alternated series with DeAngelo Williams, who also had a big night with 101 yards on nine carries and a 60-yard touchdown run.

"It was a good night for the offense and the defense as well," Stewart said. "I think as a team we showcased what we can do throughout the whole season."

The Panthers had been reluctant to showcase Stewart in any fashion before Saturday night. He underwent surgery for a turf-toe injury last winter, after his college career at Oregon ended, and the Panthers have taken a cautious approach ever since drafting him.

Stewart missed the team's spring minicamp while rehabbing, then was not allowed to participate in the team's summer-school workouts because of NFL rules regarding players drafted from schools on the quarter system.

He got plenty of repetitions throughout training camp in Spartanburg,S.C. But he was held out of the preseason opener against Indianapolis and carried the ball four times for three net yards against Philadelphia in the second preseason game.

Coach John Fox was impressed with Stewart throughout training camp, and he got more affirmation on Saturday night.

"He's been held back a little bit by that toe," Fox said. "We've been very cautious with him. We got him in there a little bit last week and thought he made some strides. And we really saw it this week in practice, and his confidence starting to grow."

"Any time an athlete is coming off an injury, there's a growth and confidence factor no matter who you are. It takes a little time."

Stewart has talked throughout the preseason about dealing with some of the after effects of the surgery. Doctors are convinced that the toe is fully healed, but there has been some occasional pain from the scar tissue that formed after the surgery.

Stewart said Saturday night that he is now finally able to "trust" the toe.

"It felt good," he said. "I wasn't worried too much about it. It's getting better slowly. I'm expecting to deal with some kind of discomfort throughout the season. But once the doctors told me ‘You're not going to do anything to hurt it,' I was all-ahead from that point."

Stewart's four carries against Philadelphia in his preseason debut came behind the second-team offensive line, after the starters had already been pulled for the rest of the night. Against the Redskins, he was in for five series with the first unit, which also meant he had fullback Brad Hoover doing the lead-blocking for him. The Panthers got three touchdowns and a field goal out of those five series.

"It meant a lot going with the starters," Stewart said. "The line we have, they're young, they're good. We've got a good line. And having Hoover back there brings wisdom to the whole running game. It just makes me comfortable back there to have him back there.

"It was a good experience. My experience was definitely different than last week. Last week was more of getting my feet wet. I had a little bit more confidence tonight and especially when one of your first runs is a big run, it builds confidence."

Fox said that the Panthers were tinkering with expanding Stewart's role to include kickoff returns, but he stopped short of saying that Stewart will return kickoffs in the preseason finale at Pittsburgh on Thursday night.

"He was healthy enough to do it tonight, so we'll just kind of wait and see," Fox said.

There is no more wait to see Stewart showcased in a game setting, though. He got his first extended opportunity on Saturday night, and he was impressive.

"What helped me tonight was familiarity with the playbook," Stewart said. "When you're thinking, you're not as explosive as you want to be. I just came ready to play tonight, and now when I'm out there, it's all instinct."

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