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Jul. 31—Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart avoided major injury, coach Zac Taylor said Thursday, July 30, but the second-year player will miss several weeks due to a hyperextended knee.
Stewart went down on the first series of 11-on-11 competition for the second-team defense Wednesday, July 29, the first day of training camp, and hobbled off the field before being taken back to Paycor Stadium on a trainer's cart.
The injury came on a rep against backup offensive tackle Cody Ford.
"It'll be several weeks," Taylor said in a statement to media after practice Thursday. "Hard to pinpoint exactly how much in a training camp that'll be, but very fortunate because it obviously looked bad, and he's put in a lot of work. So, hard to see him go down like that. But the good news is we'll be getting him back sooner rather than later."
It's been a rocky start to Stewart's NFL career since he became the Bengals' first-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2025.
Stewart sat out of the offseason workout program last year and missed the start of training camp because of a dispute over a contract that he later ended up accepting. Although he had been around the team and in meetings, he lost important time on the field with his new teammates and then suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 that caused him to miss four games.
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Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow still ranks among best QBs in NFL
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Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown among middle tier of NFL running backs
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Cincinnati Bengals: Receiving corps looking for more production in 2026
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Cincinnati Bengals: Offensive line looking to continue climb in 2026
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Cincinnati Bengals: Overhauled defensive line caught attention
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Cincinnati Bengals: Linebackers expected to make leap in Year 2
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Cincinnati Bengals: Are the safety concerns a thing of the past?
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Cincinnati Bengals: Depth improved at cornerback
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How do the Bengals position groups stack up against the rest of the NFL?
Laurel Pfahler breaks down the Cincinnati Bengals position groups heading into the 2026 season in this 8-part series.
Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow still ranks among best QBs in NFL
Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown among middle tier of NFL running backs
Cincinnati Bengals: Receiving corps looking for more production in 2026
Cincinnati Bengals: Offensive line looking to continue climb in 2026
Cincinnati Bengals: Overhauled defensive line caught attention
Cincinnati Bengals: Linebackers expected to make leap in Year 2
Cincinnati Bengals: Are the safety concerns a thing of the past?
Cincinnati Bengals: Depth improved at cornerback
A month after his return, he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury that caused him to be sidelined another five games. When Stewart did play, he was not as productive as he thought he should have been and was hopeful to avoid injury this year so he could make more impact.
Going down on the first day of camp was tough for his teammates to see.
"It never looks good when a guy holds his leg like that, but you know, he's a fighter," second-year linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. said. "Hurt his ankle in the season last year, still came back. So, this is a guy, he's not going to give up. He's a fighter. He's a guy that's going to be hard-nosed. He's gonna go 100 miles an hour, both on the field and off the field. So I have no doubt that he's gonna go into the training room, continue just to attack this process of getting back, just like anybody would who it means something to. It means everything to this guy, and I believe you know, just by him showing up almost right when the trainer show up, it shows them that he's serious about it. He wants to be back when we open up in orange."
Stewart had avoided injuries throughout his college career.
Knight said the Bengals players were glad to hear Stewart wasn't more seriously hurt, as it is not believed he suffered any ligament damage.
"When he was on the back of the cart yesterday after it happened, he was just kind of like, 'I'll be back,' and that's his mindset starting today," Knight said. "He's on the right track."
New defensive end Boye Mafe said he was aware of Stewart's injuries last year and felt bad for him having to go through another one, especially Day 1 of camp.
"We're gonna definitely be praying for him to go through a quick recovery, and I can't wait for him to get back on the field," Mafe said.
Although Mafe and Myles Murphy came into camp as the projected starters at defensive end, Stewart is expected to play a big role in what the Bengals are hoping to be an effective rotation to keep players fresh during games.
Mafe sees some similarities to what his former Seattle Seahawks had on their defensive line, which earned a lot of praise for its depth during a Super Bowl championship run. Cincinnati also added edge rusher Cashius Howell with a second-round draft pick this year.
"We have a lot of guys," Mafe said. "I think we have a lot of guys with talent in the room, and I feel like at this point right now, we're just understanding how to play together, and I feel like it's been really good to see that. So, it's definitely something that we're leaning into, and that's the vision, the path, to be a dominant defensive line, so we're on our way."
Continue reading...
Stewart went down on the first series of 11-on-11 competition for the second-team defense Wednesday, July 29, the first day of training camp, and hobbled off the field before being taken back to Paycor Stadium on a trainer's cart.
The injury came on a rep against backup offensive tackle Cody Ford.
"It'll be several weeks," Taylor said in a statement to media after practice Thursday. "Hard to pinpoint exactly how much in a training camp that'll be, but very fortunate because it obviously looked bad, and he's put in a lot of work. So, hard to see him go down like that. But the good news is we'll be getting him back sooner rather than later."
It's been a rocky start to Stewart's NFL career since he became the Bengals' first-round pick out of Texas A&M in 2025.
Stewart sat out of the offseason workout program last year and missed the start of training camp because of a dispute over a contract that he later ended up accepting. Although he had been around the team and in meetings, he lost important time on the field with his new teammates and then suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 that caused him to miss four games.
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Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow still ranks among best QBs in NFL
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Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown among middle tier of NFL running backs
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Cincinnati Bengals: Receiving corps looking for more production in 2026
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*
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Cincinnati Bengals: Offensive line looking to continue climb in 2026
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Cincinnati Bengals: Overhauled defensive line caught attention
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Cincinnati Bengals: Linebackers expected to make leap in Year 2
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Cincinnati Bengals: Are the safety concerns a thing of the past?
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Cincinnati Bengals: Depth improved at cornerback
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How do the Bengals position groups stack up against the rest of the NFL?
Laurel Pfahler breaks down the Cincinnati Bengals position groups heading into the 2026 season in this 8-part series.
Cincinnati Bengals: Burrow still ranks among best QBs in NFL
Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Brown among middle tier of NFL running backs
Cincinnati Bengals: Receiving corps looking for more production in 2026
Cincinnati Bengals: Offensive line looking to continue climb in 2026
Cincinnati Bengals: Overhauled defensive line caught attention
Cincinnati Bengals: Linebackers expected to make leap in Year 2
Cincinnati Bengals: Are the safety concerns a thing of the past?
Cincinnati Bengals: Depth improved at cornerback
A month after his return, he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury that caused him to be sidelined another five games. When Stewart did play, he was not as productive as he thought he should have been and was hopeful to avoid injury this year so he could make more impact.
Going down on the first day of camp was tough for his teammates to see.
"It never looks good when a guy holds his leg like that, but you know, he's a fighter," second-year linebacker Demetrius Knight Jr. said. "Hurt his ankle in the season last year, still came back. So, this is a guy, he's not going to give up. He's a fighter. He's a guy that's going to be hard-nosed. He's gonna go 100 miles an hour, both on the field and off the field. So I have no doubt that he's gonna go into the training room, continue just to attack this process of getting back, just like anybody would who it means something to. It means everything to this guy, and I believe you know, just by him showing up almost right when the trainer show up, it shows them that he's serious about it. He wants to be back when we open up in orange."
Stewart had avoided injuries throughout his college career.
Knight said the Bengals players were glad to hear Stewart wasn't more seriously hurt, as it is not believed he suffered any ligament damage.
"When he was on the back of the cart yesterday after it happened, he was just kind of like, 'I'll be back,' and that's his mindset starting today," Knight said. "He's on the right track."
New defensive end Boye Mafe said he was aware of Stewart's injuries last year and felt bad for him having to go through another one, especially Day 1 of camp.
"We're gonna definitely be praying for him to go through a quick recovery, and I can't wait for him to get back on the field," Mafe said.
Although Mafe and Myles Murphy came into camp as the projected starters at defensive end, Stewart is expected to play a big role in what the Bengals are hoping to be an effective rotation to keep players fresh during games.
Mafe sees some similarities to what his former Seattle Seahawks had on their defensive line, which earned a lot of praise for its depth during a Super Bowl championship run. Cincinnati also added edge rusher Cashius Howell with a second-round draft pick this year.
"We have a lot of guys," Mafe said. "I think we have a lot of guys with talent in the room, and I feel like at this point right now, we're just understanding how to play together, and I feel like it's been really good to see that. So, it's definitely something that we're leaning into, and that's the vision, the path, to be a dominant defensive line, so we're on our way."
Continue reading...
