Latest Shemar Stewart trade intel should end any speculation of the Bengals dealing him away
There are NFL teams interested in trading for Cincinnati Bengals defensive and Shemar Stewart. But should the Bengals even consider trading him? Not for the predicted return value.
There are NFL teams interested in trading for Cincinnati Bengals defensive and Shemar Stewart. But should the Bengals even consider trading him?
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who first reported outside interest in Stewart last week, interested clubs are expecting Stewart’s value to be equivalent of a Day 3 draft pick.
While the Bengals typically don’t trade away recently drafted players, Stewart is out of the defensive end rotation and would have value. He was inactive Sunday in Baltimore. He has high upside and turns 23 in November. The emergence of rookie Cashius Howell gives Cincinnati cover should it move on, too. Stewart is a name a few teams have had circled as a possibility for weeks, and teams predict a Day 3 pick would be the most likely value.
Jeremy fowler
ESPN senior NFL writer
And just like that, I can confidently predict Stewart will not be dealt prior to the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Shemar Stewart’s value conundrum
There are logical reasons why those in league circles feel like Stewart could be traded from Cincinnati. Last year’s No. 17 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft has hardly played this season. He was a healthy scratch in last week’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. Considering his draft status and his standing on the depth chart, the Bengals may be able to get something for him in a trade that they couldn’t with other players who are also low on the totem pole.
His draft status is also the reason why I don’t think Stewart is going anywhere, at least not this year.
Cincinnati has no reason to accept a Day 3 pick in return for a player they used a top-20 pick on the year prior. That return on investment is terrible; a non-starter for a franchise that rarely accepts loss of value in trades.
Let’s use a fourth-round pick as an example here. If the Bengals hold on to Stewart and he doesn’t play a single down for the rest of the season, perhaps you would rather take the draft pick and move on before his value drops even lower. That is what other teams are hoping Cincinnati is thinking.
The problem for them is the Bengals aren’t thinking just about this year. And even even if they were, a pick in next year’s draft does not help this year’s roster.
The waiting game is far likelier to be played
Stewart is a second-year player with two full years left on his contract after this season ends. How Cincinnati views him at this moment does not mean anything regarding the next two years. There will be chances for Stewart to get on the field, and in turn, begin providing some semblance of a return on investment. Next year’s defensive line won’t look the same as it does now. Injuries are never predictable and always need contingencies.
The Bengals will prioritize keeping Stewart because there’s a good chance they’ll need him before his contract expires. Their evaluation of him didn’t change so drastically for them to send him away for a much lower pick than they used to bring him in. It doesn’t matter if he’s getting playing time or not right now. They can afford to wait, as they always do.
A Day 3 pick will not be enough to spark a move. If a team wants to give a player that would make the Bengals better for now and in the near future and would take Stewart in return, that’s another story. But Cincinnati is not so desperate for picks to send off its most recent first-rounder for a sizable loss in investment. Not when there’s still time for him to make an impact later this season, or in the years to come.
