Bengals Player Profile: Shemar Stewart has key role waiting for him once he overcomes another hurdle
The Cincinnati Bengals saw Shemar Stewart play in eight games as a rookie due to two separate injuries, and then watched him go down with a hyperextended knee in this year’s first training camp practice. He avoided major injury, but the club is now hoping he’s healthy for Week 1 this year.
We’re 15 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. Before final cuts arrive in a little over two weeks, we’re going over the entirety of single the Bengals’ 90-man roster. Check out previous player profiles here.
The next name on the countdown was injured at the start of training camp.
Shemar Stewart Player Profile
Age: 22
Year: 2nd
Position: Defensive end
College: Texas A&M
Jersey Number: 94
Shemar Stewart was selected No. 17 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Bengals. Prior to the NFL, Stewart spent three years at Texas A&M (2022-24) and started 19 of the 37 games he played. He totaled 65 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, and was named third-team All-SEC in 2024. He registered 1.5 sacks in each of his three seasons with the Aggies.
Production concerns surrounded the conversation with Stewart exiting the draft. Soon after, it was his contract that dominated the discourse. He refused to sign his rookie deal due to offset language included in the terms. He did not participate in any offseason workouts, and also missed the first practices of training camp. Cincinnati compromised by giving him $500,000 of his signing bonus upfront that was originally scheduled to be paid later in the year.
Stewart played in the first two regular season games before suffering an ankle injury. He returned after missing four games and played in another three before suffering a knee injury that took him out for another five games. He recorded his first-career sack in Week 17, and his first TFLs also came in the final three weeks.
Contract details
Stewart is entering the second year of his four-year, $18,969,276 rookie contract. He will earn a guaranteed base salary of $1,005,000 this season and has already earned a guaranteed roster bonus of $697,240, bringing his total cash figure to $1,702,240 for the year. When adding on his signing bonus proration of $2,608,959, Stewart’s salary cap hit for the season is $4,311,199.
Roster outlook
The Bengals saw Stewart play in eight games as a rookie due to two separate injuries, and then watched him go down with a hyperextended knee in this year’s first training camp practice. He avoided major injury, but the club is now hoping he’s healthy for Week 1 this year. It has not been the ideal start to his career.
Once Stewart gets back in the swing of things, Cincinnati is counting on him filling a key role behind starters Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy. Isaiah Foskey and this year’s second-round pick Cashius Howell, who played with Stewart at A&M, are getting reps in his place for now.
Roster odds: 100%
