Carolina's first-round draft pick uttered one of his new coach's favorite sayings, "It is what it is," Friday after the first minicamp practice of his NFL career.

Stewart, the former Oregon running back, was talking about the frustration of having to watch from the sidelines instead of practicing because he is recovering from a March 12 toe surgery.

"I wanted to be out there real bad," Stewart said. "I don't really like watching. It just kind of gets you antsy. But it is what it is. I've got to sit back and watch for a while."

Even though Stewart didn't practice, his presence brought a smile to the face of Mr. It-Is-What-It-Is himself, John Fox.

"We feel real strong about his ability," Fox said. "The one negative is getting the toe fixed, but it should be fine by training camp."

Stewart romped for 1,722 yards, 11 touchdowns and a 6.2 yards-per-carry average last season as a junior at Oregon.

He suffered a turf toe injury Nov. 15 against Arizona, struggled to 33 yards on 13 carries the next game, but exploded for 163 yards less than three weeks after getting hurt. Then, despite, playing with pain, he completed his career with a 253-yard performance in the Sun Bowl.

Stewart (5 feet 10, 235 pounds) said he has been working out the rest of his body while his toe recovers. He looked muscular and fit, and appeared to make a strong first impression on his new teammates.

"He's a man, there's no doubt," said quarterback Jake Delhomme. "He seems like a good kid. He was very quiet and studious today, watching a lot."

Delhomme is excited about what Stewart and a new-look offensive line, featuring first-round pick Jeff Otah, could make the Panthers a good running team again.

"That's how you win in this league," said Delhomme. "It does so much not only offensively, but for the defense."

PANTHERS NOTES: Delhomme, who is coming off Tommy John surgery on his right elbow last year, practiced for the first time since last September.

The quarterback threw 34 mostly short-to-midrange passes during individual drills in the morning session, though nothing longer than about 25 yards. He hasn't thrown any deep "go routes" quite yet, but has thrown some fade routes where he has to get some air under the ball.

"It feels great," he said. "The rehab has gone great. We have been cautious and haven't had any setbacks. I was very satisfied today."

* Linebacker Jon Beason, who led the team with 160 tackles as a rookie last season, had his arm in a sling on Friday following surgery to repair a tendon in his wrist. Fox said he should be back in June.

* The Panthers have decided to give Julius Peppers a shot at playing right defensive end after six seasons on the left end. Fox, however, said nothing is set in stone.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)