Very few outsiders could've anticipated how well the Cincinnati Bengals' defense would band together in Week 1 during coordinator Al Golden's debut. The 17-16 AFC North win over the Cleveland Browns finally got the Bengals off to a good start after years of season-opening losses.
One of the bright spots on defense was rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart. Blessed with an elite athletic profile, Stewart overcame an offseason holdout to shine in his NFL debut. Although he didn't have any tackles, his presence was felt on the gridiron at Huntington Bank Field.
All this is to set up why the Bengals' depth chart reveal for Week 2 is a little perplexing.
Shemar Stewart behind Joseph Ossai on Week 2 Bengals depth chart
Look, I get that Joseph Ossai is in his fourth season as a pro. He even generated three pressures on Sunday. I nevertheless still don't get why Ossai is listed ahead of Stewart as a starting defensive end ahead of Cincinnati's Week 2 home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Bengals Depth Chart Week 2 vs. Jaguars: pic.twitter.com/8oeAzag6rK
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) September 9, 2025
We should take this depth chart with a grain of salt to some degree. Stewart got plenty of tread in Week 1, logging 37 snaps compared to Ossai's 48. Both players have the versatility to kick inside, too, on pass rush subpackages. They can share the field at times and be effective together.
But Stewart already looks better through two halves of NFL football than Ossai has really at any point in his career since the Bengals got him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Although injuries have played a part in Ossai's glacial development, he's never struck me as a starting-caliber defender.
The sheer upside Stewart has should merit a higher snap count than Ossai in Week 2 and going forward. Maybe I'm being a little impatient, and there's a master plan to integrate Stewart into the official starting lineup slowly but surely. I hope that's the case.
Not that PFF grades are the end-all be-all. However, Stewart was the second-best Cincinnati defensive player this past week with an 88.9 mark, just ahead of Trey Hendrickson's 88.1. And Hendrickson had a whale of an afternoon. Ossai was all the way down at 55.9, which approximates his typical, pedestrian baseline.
It's a matter of if, not when, Stewart eclipses Ossai as a starter. Heck, given that Lucas Patrick is headed to injured reserve, and is still listed as the No. 1 right guard on this Bengals depth chart, only furthers the notion that we can't fully buy into this latest update. Cincinnati already knew Patrick was hurt and would be out for Week 2 before releasing the new chart.
Here's hoping the depth chart is a liar, and that Stewart is in action more than Ossai versus the Jags.