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Bengals Given Warning on Future for Former First-Round Pick Shemar Stewart
The Cincinnati Bengals were given a warning about the future for former first-round pick Shemar Stewart. Getty
Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Shemar Stewart Getty
Cincinnati Bengals DL Dexter Lawrence Getty
Things haven’t gone the way either Shemar Stewart or the Cincinnati Bengals would have liked them to go. Now, he’s set to enter a pivotal second season in the NFL.
It was an inauspicious start to Stewart’s career. He began with a contract dispute that kept him from hitting the ground running with the Bengals and kept him from practicing during large chunks of the 2025 offseason. Then, the injuries piled up. From November 15th to December 19th, Stewart found himself on IR.
In the end, Stewart played in just 8 games as a rookie. He had 11 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, and 1.0 sacks. It was a massive disappointment for a first-round pick they had hoped would become a massive contributor.
The Cincinnati Bengals Got a Shemar Stewart Warning
Getty Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Shemar Stewart
In the wake of the 53-man roster being finalized, Shemar Stewart did get some good news. He doesn’t have to go back on Injured Reserve due to his hyperextended knee. The bad news is that he could still end up on IR.
Paul Dehner of The Athletic broke down the concern for the Bengals and Stewart.
“That’s the good news. The bad news is that this was not the deadline. Stewart could still end up on IR-return. Opting not to put Stewart on the list that requires a player to miss the first four weeks of the season merely buys time,” Dehner wrote . “The Bengals can now wait to see more of Stewart’s progress in his rehab and see if a roster spot is suddenly needed to make another move. None of those are time-dependent until right before the first game of the year.”
In other words, Stewart could once again miss an extensive amount of time for the Bengals. That would quickly make him at least appear to be injury-prone, which paired with his lack of production and the contract dispute he had before playing a snap, isn’t a position either side wants to be in going forward.
“If Stewart makes progress and they think he can come back in enough time to make even missing the first couple of weeks worth it, he’ll stay on the 53. If not, they can place the IR-return tag on him before the opener, and he will be eligible to return on Oct. 11 against Miami,” Dehner wrote.
The Bengals Have a New-Look Defensive Line
Getty Cincinnati Bengals DL Dexter Lawrence
When Shemar Stewart first landed with the Bengals, the defensive line was a clear weakness for them. That was even with Trey Hendrickson at edge rusher.
Hendrickson is gone now, but the Bengals are much more confident in their defensive line on the whole. This comes after a season of completely re-tooling the position, with the most notable move being the trade for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence . He quickly earned high praise for how difficult he made practice on Joe Burrow .
“I was talking the other day,” Burrow said in early August . “I threw an interception on one of the first days, and I was saying Dex is just so big. He makes throwing over the middle a little more difficult, just because of how big and imposing he is. You have to slide right, slide left, just to be able to see around him, and that’s going to cause some mistakes.”
Of course, Lawrence isn’t the only newcomer. The Bengals also signed Boye Mafe and Jonathan Allen . On top of that, they used a draft pick to take another edge rusher, Cashius Howell .
All of that amounts to a completely rebuilt defensive line. Where it leaves Shemar Stewart once he’s healthy, though, remains to be seen.
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