Mandatory minicamp is about to begin for the Cincinnati Bengals, and two players are standing their ground while the rest of the team goes to work.

Per multiple reports, All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson will not report to minicamp as he seeks a new contract extension. The team reached out to the 30-year old on Monday to see where things stood, and both sides remain dug in.

Hendrickson has been absent for the entire offseason program sans one afternoon when he made a surprise appearance to talk with local beat reporters. Since he is a veteran under contract, he will be subjected to fines that exceed $100,000 for skipping all three days.

First-round pick Shemar Stewart is in a slightly different boat as he's yet to sign his rookie contract. Stewart has been present for workouts and OTAs, but he's yet to participate and that will remain the case this week.

Continuing on with Bengals contract news this morning ahead of Day of 1 mandatory minicamp.

The Bengals didn't get Shemar Stewart under contract by this AM, therefore the rookie won't practice, a source tells me.

Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart both not practicing.

— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) June 10, 2025

Operating without Hendrickson and Stewart has been standard operating procedure for Cincinnati over the last month. This means the same players who received all their reps during two weeks of OTAs will see even more during the last three days of practice before summer break arrives.

Myles Murphy, Joseph Ossai to continue benefitting from Bengals' contract drama 

Football is the ultimate "next man up" game and that's already been the case for the Bengals' defensive ends. Murphy and Ossai have taken essentially all the reps with the starting defense over the last month and that isn't changing this week while practice ramps up.

Murphy, the club's first-rounder from 2023, is entering a critical third year in the league after his production dropped a year ago compared to his rookie season. He's firmly in the conversation to start Week 1 for the first time in his young career regardless if Hendrickson is back in time for that decision to be made. 

Ossai is only two years older but is already on his second contract in Cincinnati. He re-upped for another year with a chance to play considerably more now that Sam Hubbard is retired. 

The drafting of Stewart put a slight dent in both Murphy and Ossai's playing time projections, but with Stewart yet to officially practice for the first time since arriving in April, Murphy and Ossai are both safely ahead of him in the rotation and battle to start. 

The Bengals need good years out of both Murphy and Ossai. If there's any upside to Hendrickson and Stewart remaining out of practice, it's both players capitalizing on extra reps to prepare for training camp and so on.  

There were only a few important questions surrounding the Bengals entering this week, and they've all been answered before players even took the field. Hendrickson and Stewart are still out, leaving Murphy and Ossai still controlling their own fate.

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