Bengals news roundup: Shemar Stewart speculation, the Jeffery Simmons trade and more

The Cincinnati Bengals have had a lot of news flying around entering Week 8's showdown with the Tennessee Titans at Paycor Stadium. Chief among the big developments was the Titans trading star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks.

But that's not all that was going on in recent days across the Who Dey Nation-centric news wires. We have much more to dive into, including and starting with a bit on Shemar Stewart.

Can Stewart live up to the hype as the 17th overall pick from last year? The Bengals have a strong internal belief in him, and Stewart seems to have his head on straighter than he did as a rookie.

1. Shemar Stewart trending well behind the scenes despite lack of playing time

The Jungle Roar podcast's Mike Petraglia posted an interesting quote from Bnegals defensive coordinator Al Golden, who commented on the fact that Shemar Stewart was a healthy scratch in Week 7's rout of the Ravens:

"I'm not discouraged at all in Shemar. I'm really not. I think that was unfortunate. I was really hoping to see him take a big jump last week, and I have the same hope as I sit here today, we just worked him in in the walkthrough. We'll continue to do that this afternoon in practice, and I'm looking for that moment where we don't turn back, if I'm being honest with you. So I'm disappointed for him and what he's had to. This has been a hard start. I said it last week, it's been difficult. So he's been really positive. He continues to get better, and when it's his when it's his turn, the important thing is that he doesn't leave the field again."

ESPN's Ben Baby then reported the following remark from Stewart himself:

"I'm not going to be naïve and say missing [training] camp didn't affect me, but it definitely did...It's a full month of work full of reps that I didn't have. So I understand that, and I understand the hesitancy to play me."

Quite a self-aware and good perspective to have. The reality is that the Bengals are just so good on the defensive line that there aren't a lot of snaps to go around.

Would I rather see Stewart in action and experiment with his potential inside-out versatility, rather than seeing Kris Jenkins Jr. cameos from time to time? You bet. The coaching staff clearly doesn't see it that way yet.

Hopes remain high for Stewart within the organization. I'm frankly a little more skeptical but would love to be proven wrong.

2. Jeffery Simmons trade draws some awesome Bengals reactions

Zac Taylor's brother, Press Taylor, is on the Bears' staff as the non-play-calling offensive coordinator (Ben Johnson is pretty good at dialing plays up, turns out). Press spoke about his conversation with Zac post-Simmons trade and it did not disappoint.

Bengals center Ted Karras was also quite thrilled in a different way, because Simmons would no longer be lined up opposite him in Week 8.

Pretty amazingly timed that the Bengals got to duck Simmons. That said, I believe the Bears are a legit Super Bowl contender and were even before they acquired him. Cincinnati may not have to deal with Simmons now, but a Bears-Bengals Super Bowl is not out of the question.

3. Ex-Bengal DJ Reader is flourishing as Dexter Lawrence's replacement

Let's let the graphic do the talking here on how well D.J. Reader is playing for the New York Giants in Dexter Lawrence's stead.

This trade is looking like a win-win for the Bengals and the G-Men. The latter got a bargain replacement for the disgruntled Lawrence in Reader. Cincinnati finally got a long-term solution at defensive tackle who can eat space versus the run and command double teams to elevate the pass rush.

Reader would've been more like a Band-Aid solution if he would've opted for a Bengals reunion. I'd have loved to have him, but the 10th overall pick was draft capital well-spent to get Lawrence under contract through 2028.

We'll see if Lawrence wants more money as his dominance continues and the wins likely follow. For now I'm just happy for Reader and thrilled that Sexy Dexy is on Cincinnati's side.

4. Amarius Mims is tracking for an All-Pro caliber season in pass protection

We can't take anyone seriously who doesn't view Amarius Mims as an elite offensive tackle in this league. The guy is a brick wall in pass protection and, if the Bengals got a little more imaginative in their run scheme, I think he'd be an even bigger asset there too.

I wrote a piece on how good Mims has been earlier this week but some updated data came out that I thought was worth sharing:

You cannot deny this man. He just turned 24 earlier this month, is 6'8", 350 pounds and is still coming into his own as far as refining his technique and realizing the full might he possesses on the gridiron.

Mims is extension-eligible this offseason. It's customary for Cincinnati's front office to wait as long as possibel before paying their in-house talent. Might be a good idea to lock Mims up ASAP. Pretty sure Joe Burrow would appreciate it.

5. Cincinnati's 'easy' schedule is looking even better entering Week 8

Despite two games against the 5-2 Browns still to play, the Bengals appear to have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.

We knew the Bengals had a relatively easy slate entering the 2026 campaign. It's going even better than anticipated. Plus, their Week 15 opponent, Carolina, just lost in an ugly Thursday nighter against the Packers in which Bryce Young took six sacks.

Oh, and the Colts are in full-blown fire sale mode after firing GM Chris Ballard. They've already traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. Could Jonathan Taylor to Cincinnati be next!? Maybe!

6. No Ohio State-Michigan duel in the Bengals-Titans matchup

The Titans are running out of ways to be competitive in Cincinnati, and this goes beyond the Simmons trade. Former Ohio State wideout Carnell Tate will be out of action, which denies fans a matchup between the Buckeye and ex-Michigan cornerback DJ Turner.

It may have been lopsided in Turner's favor anyway since Cam Ward is such an incapable quarterback at this point in his career. Nevertheless, us Ohio-raised folk have a particular affinity for OSU-Michigan tilts.

Tennessee's injury report really is a rough one. John Franklin-Myers is questionable and that could leave the Titans' interior d-line even worse off. Wide receiver Calvin Ridley may not play due to a hip injury; he's also questionable.

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