The Bengals got a scare almost immediately at training camp, and it centered on one of their biggest young hopes.
Edge rusher Shemar Stewart went down during an 11-on-11 period with what appeared to be a left knee injury. Trainers checked on him briefly, but he couldn’t put weight on the leg and was eventually carted off the field. Stewart did not return.
“During first 11 on 11 session, Shemar Stewart, the Bengals 2025 first-round pick, goes down and hobbles off. Was favoring his left knee,” The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. revealed.
“He went down behind the drill, worked on and eventually tried to put pressure on it and couldn’t. He was just carted off.”
The video from the play didn’t offer much comfort. Stewart’s leg bent awkwardly on the rep, and the injury looked like a hyperextension. The full extent of the damage is still unknown, but the early signs are obviously concerning.
That’s the last thing Cincinnati needed with camp just getting started. Stewart’s rookie year was quiet, as he played in only eight games and finished with one sack in 2025, but the Bengals were counting on a second-year jump.
The timing matters even more because Cincinnati’s defense already has a lot to prove in 2026. The pass rush was a problem last season, when the Bengals finished with the seventh-fewest sacks in the NFL.
If Stewart is sidelined for a while, it would be a serious hit to a unit that can’t afford many more setbacks. The Bengals moved on from star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson this offseason, so there’s a clear need for someone to take on that production.
Cincinnati did add Boye Mafe in free agency and Cashius Howell of Texas A&M in the 2026 NFL Draft, while Myles Murphy is back for a fourth season after leading the team with 5.5 sacks in 2025.
If Stewart misses any time, all three of those players will be asked to shoulder even more of the load.
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