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          A look at the Panthers' top 10 highest salaries: No. 5

          • David Newton, ESPN Staff WriterMar 30, 2015, 08:00 AM ET
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              David Newton is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Carolina Panthers. Newton began covering Carolina in 1995 and came to ESPN in 2006 as a NASCAR reporter before joining NFL Nation in 2013. You can follow Newton on Twitter at @DNewtonespn.
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          Continuing my look at the 10 highest paid members of the Carolina Panthers based on their 2015 salary cap number is No. 5, running back Jonathan Stewart.

          2015 salary cap number: $8.3 million

          NFL average at position: $7,191,169

          Total contract: The Panthers signed Stewart to a five-year, $36.5 million extension in 2012. The deal was restructured in 2014 and now runs through 2017.

          How he made the roster: Stewart was Carolina's first-round pick (13th overall) in 2008 out of Oregon.

          Impact: Injuries limited Stewart to 15 games combined during the 2012 and '13 seasons. When healthy, he's one of the top backs in the league. He led the NFL in rushing during Weeks 12-15 last season after DeAngelo Williams suffered a broken hand. After becoming the fulltime starter in 2014, the Panthers went 5-1, including 1-1 in the playoffs.

          Long-term future: Stewart is 28, which is why the Panthers are entertaining draft prospects to develop as a long-term fix. But if he can stay healthy he's still got several good years ahead of him. Carolina wouldn't have released Williams, the team's all-time leading rusher, if they weren't confident in Stewart.