Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart lifts a weight off his back, and he knows exactly how massive it was
Shemar Stewart finally got his first sack for the Bengals.
Shemar Stewart couldn’t escape it for months before and after he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals. It was a simple yet important question surrounding the game and ability of the No. 17 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft: why couldn’t he produce more sacks in college?
That mystery certainly didn’t fade during the first 16 weeks of his Bengals career, in which he played only six games and netted zero sacks. Two separate injuries derailed his in-game development and practice time to improve. There was a very real chance the 21-year-old, who finished his collegiate career with 4.5 sacks, would post a goose egg as a rookie in the most important statistic for a defensive end.
That timeline was erased during Cincinnati’s 37-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals when Stewart finally got an NFL quarterback on the ground. He took down Jacoby Brissett in the final moments of the third quarter for his first NFL sack.
The play didn’t get the Bengals back into playoff contention, nor did it change the game’s trajectory, but it was important for the man who made it nonetheless.
Shemar Stewart explains significance behind first NFL sack
Stewart made his return to the field last week after missing five games due to a knee injury. He had missed four games earlier in the season with an ankle sprain. He was running out of chances to get that elusive sack before the offseason and nine months of waiting for another crack at it.
When he finally took down Brissett, he felt it where it mattered.
“It was very important,” Stewart told Dayton Daily News’ Laurel Pfahler after the game. “It was just a very up and down year for me, being hurt twice. Being out for a lot of games. And to get that, it just made my heart full.”
It was surely a weight lifted off his back.
Injuries derailed Stewart’s season, and for a young player who needed as much experience as possible, his rookie season was looking like an abject loss. It almost looked like it would start that way when he didn’t sign his rookie contract until a few days after training camp began.
One sacks doesn’t make it a success, but it is definitely something to hang his hat, and he’s got another four quarters to get another.
Stewart will be even more important for Cincinnati’s defense next year. He’ll now have a taste of what’s expected more often when that time comes.
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