The Cincinnati Bengals have struggled to nail their first-round picks in recent years, and former Texas A&M standout Shemar Stewart was no exception in 2025. Stewart's rookie-season flop as the 17th overall pick had to be part of the motivation to trade this year's first selection at No. 10 overall in exchange for All-Pro defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence.
But in a National Football League full of freak athletes, Stewart is a freak of freaks. A historically gifted defensive end whose upside offset his 4.5 sacks in three years of college ball.
Unfortunately, Stewart's bid to take a massive Year 2 leap was beset during Wednesday's first open practice of Bengals training camp, as he was carted off the field with some sort of leg injury.
Stewart's latest setback is a red flag for his NFL trajectory
Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reported that Shemar Stewart's injury occurred in the first 11-on-11 session, and that he couldn't put pressure on his left leg. Dehner indicated that it appeared Stewart was favoring his knee.
WCPO sports director Caleb Noe shared a video of Stewart's leg bending awkwardly, and it doesn't look good.
Injuries derailed Stewart this past season. In fact, he had a rather promising NFL debut at Cleveland before getting injured in Week 2 versus the Jaguars — the same game Joe Burrow went down with his awful case of turf toe.
Stewart is a 6'5", 267-pound behemoth who's built like someone who seems indestructible. Unfortunately, the brutal reality of pro football's physical toll has already reared its ugly head multiple times
But the concerns about Stewart go beyond his health. He was a raw draft prospect as it was coming out of Texas A&M. He could use all the training camp reps he can get, especially since he went from
Cashius Howell could step up in Shemar's absence
Rookie second-round pick Cashius Howell was Shemar Stewart's college teammate. Howell took home SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2025 with 11.5 sacks.
As if Howell's first training camp wasn't massive enough. He's in line for a greater role for a prospective Super Bowl contender, at least for the time being. Treading with caution should be the Bnegals' approach with Stewart, and hopefully his injury isn't too severe.
Beyond that, Howell must be eager to prove that the short arm length that dropped him out of the first round to the 41st overall pick won't be an issue as he makes the transition to the NFL.
Bengals defensive coordinator Al Golden indicated right after Howell was drafted that he plans to deploy him as an edge defender and off-ball linebacker. This is known as the hybrid "Viper" position in Golden's scheme, where prized free agent Boye Mafe should also get plenty of run.
We'll see whether Stewart's absence alters those plans, or creates opportunities for those behind Howell on the Bengals depth chart. For now, it's a bummer to lose a high-potential player like Stewart who could be such an X-factor for a Cincinnati defense in desperate need of rapid improvement. Perhaps Howell can be that guy instead.
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