Although defensive end Shemar Stewart has been a nonfactor for the 4-2 Bengals, teams are reportedly eyeing him as the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaches. It appears those clubs will have to look elsewhere, though, as the Bengals are not planning to deal Stewart, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Stewart, a polarizing prospect who overcame unspectacular production at Texas A&M to go 17th overall in the 2025 draft, has made little impact in the NFL. Ankle and knee injuries held Stewart to eight games, 11 tackles and a sack as a rookie. This season hasn’t gone any better for Stewart, who fell behind early in training camp because of a hyperextended left knee. Stewart missed the Bengals’ season opener as a result, but he returned in Week 2 to pick up a sack in a win in Houston.
The 6-foot-5, 267-pound Stewart only played five defensive snaps against the Texans, and he hasn’t been on the field much since then. Stuck behind Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, rookie second-round pick Cashius Howell and 2024 sixth-rounder Cedric Johnson on the depth chart, Stewart has taken just 17 defensive snaps this season. He was a healthy scratch for a crucial road matchup with the AFC North rival Ravens in Week 7. Thanks to a dominant second-half performance, the Bengals rolled to a 35-13 win without him.
While it may appear Stewart has fallen out of favor in Cincinnati, head coach Zac Taylor insists that isn’t the case.
“He’s doing all the right things,” Taylor said Monday (via Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer). “He’s getting better every week. (He missed) training camp for the most part. So, to get him back, I think he’s been doing a great job of practicing. We’re just in a really tough spot with our inactives right now.”
Barring an injury to Mafe, Murphy, Howell or Johnson, Stewart may remain stapled to the bench in Cincinnati. But the Bengals still see the 22-year-old as “part of the future,” per Dehner, making a change of scenery unlikely. The Bengals aren’t in position to sell high on Stewart, who other teams predict would only return a Day 3 pick, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Assuming Stewart is still a Bengal in 2027, playing time could open up for him if Murphy leaves in free agency. Murphy has recorded a 63.61% defensive snap share, which ranks second to Mafe (74.55%) among the team’s D-ends.
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