Shemar Stewart’s rookie year mishap is the main reason why he’s set up for a turnaround 2026 season
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart was doing much about nothing this time last year. The script has been completly flipped now that his rookie season drama is a thing of the past.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart was doing much about nothing this time last year.
He thought he was exercising his leverage to avoid offset language in his rookie contract. Instead, he missed the entire offseason workout program and the start of training camp. When he finally signed, he received an advance of $500,000 along with the language he contested. What followed was a rookie season marred by injuries, and plenty of questions entering 2026.
What shouldn’t be a question now is the advantage he now has over his former self, and how that can translate into a better season in his second year.
Shemar Stewart is practicing at a time when he wasn’t last year
It really is that simple. Stewart deprived himself of fully participating during his first offseason in the NFL. He was significantly behind the curve by the time he finally took the practice field in late July of last year. He was developing on the fly during the ramp up to the season, and trying to keep his head above water in the fall.
All of that is behind him now, and it’s showing in his second offseason.
“I feel like that comes from mental clarity,” Stewart told Dan Hoard following Tuesday’s voluntary workout session. “Once you know what you’re doing, you can play and move a lot faster. When you’re in your head about things and you’re second-guessing yourself, that’s when you move around timid. I feel like that’s what I’ve been trying to eliminate from my game since I walked out of here after year one.”
Shemar Stewart 2025 stats
Cincinnati’s first-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft played in eight games during his rookie season.
- 11 combined tackles
- Two tackles for loss
- One sack
Bengals need a jump from Stewart in 2026
The departure of Trey Hendrickson has raised the value of every member of the Bengals’ DE group. Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy are the starters, but Stewart is right behind them alongside rookie second-round pick Cashius Howell and third-year backup Cedric Johnson.
A major free agent signing and top-50 pick aren’t enough to erase Stewart’s importance in the 2026 plans. Cincy needs its most recent first-rounder to take a similar leap Murphy took last year to really complete its new-look pass rushing rotation.
He’s significantly further along in that process compared to this time last year.