Other NFL teams are joining Bengals fans in wondering the same thing about Shemar Stewart
Shemar Stewart has played only 17 snaps through five games for the Cincinnati Bengals. With the NFL trade deadline two weeks away, a few teams are keeping close tabs on the second-year defensive end.
NFL teams have noticed what Cincinnati Bengals fans have about Shemar Stewart. The second-year defensive end is not playing very much this season, and there are clubs interested in whether the 2025 first-round pick is available ahead of the trade deadline.
According to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, a few teams are tracking Stewart as a possible trade target.
One surprise name a few teams are tracking is Cincinnati edge rusher Shamar Stewart. The 2025 first-round pick is not a factor in the team’s rotation right now. He has played 17 snaps, well behind the total for fourth defensive end Cedric Johnson, and rookie second-rounder Cassius Howell has been impressive. Cincinnati typically doesn’t move its young draft picks, but it would be surprising if the Bengals haven’t received inquiries on Stewart, whose upside remains high.
Jeremy Fowler
ESPN senior NFL national reporter
What the Shemar Stewart trade interest really means
This report does not mean the Bengals are actively shopping Stewart two weeks away from the deadline. It simply means other teams are curious. They want to know whether his lack of involvement through five games signals that Cincinnati views him as expendable.
Stewart is still just 22 years old, and he is a former first-round pick with multiple years remaining on his rookie contract. That combination makes him potentially desirable asset for a team willing to take a swing on him. The Bengals notoriously only make deals that grant them surplus value, and Stewart’s price could feasibly be higher than that of a reserve who plays a handful of snaps per game.
The problem is time. The longer Stewart stays a non-factor in the defense, the worse the production next to his name gets. A thin résumé lowers his value in any potential trade, and right now there isn’t much on it.
Where does Stewart fit on the Bengals’ depth chart?
It’s also worth asking whether Cincinnati sees Stewart as a notable piece of its defense going forward. A quick look at the edge rusher room makes the answer murky.
Boye Mafe is already a hit and is going to be in town for at least a couple more years. Cashius Howell is only a rookie, and he has already pushed his way into the rotation. Cedric Johnson has even proved himself over Stewart and still has one more year left on his contract.
Even if Myles Murphy leaves in free agency next offseason, is Stewart any higher than fourth on the depth chart in 2027? And is it smart for the Bengals to have a first-round pick sitting that far down the pecking order?
Those questions have no easy answers. Spending premium draft capital on a player who can’t crack the rotation is not a great look, but time may also be what salvages Stewart’s career in Cincy.
The case for Cincinnati holding on to Stewart
I don’t think the Bengals are ultimately interested in trading Stewart. As Fowler notes, the front office doesn’t like giving up on its big investments this early. Billy Price was the last first-rounder traded away from the team, and that was after he spent three years on the roster.
Cincinnati is also one injury away from Stewart becoming a much bigger part of the defense than he is right now. EDGE depth gets tested every season, and a former first-rounder with real upside is a valuable insurance policy to keep around.
Beyond that, I view Stewart as a player who can easily be better in his third and fourth years than he currently is his his second. Plenty of EDGEs take time to develop at the NFL level, and Stewart’s age works in his favor. There’s every reason to see what that progression looks like before giving up on him.
Patience has its limits, though. If the Bengals ever want to trade Stewart, their best return may come before the deadline expires Nov. 3. Another half season of sparse snaps would only make other teams less willing to pay a meaningful price.
For now, the smart bet is Stewart staying in Cincinnati. Whether teams call about him eventually changes that remains to be seen.
