Shemar Stewart

Bengals rookie EDGE Shemar Stewart is sitting out phase two of the team’s offseason workouts due to a contract dispute.

The Bengals, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, offered Stewart — the 17th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft — a lower training camp bonus than previous 17th selections in the draft. It checks out that the Bengals, long one of the NFL’s cheapest franchises, would lowball an incoming rookie. The Bengals traded up in the draft to acquire Stewart, who recorded just two sacks over his final two seasons at Texas A&M. Widely considered an athletic marvel, Stewart will eventually join a Bengals defense that in 2024 pressured the quarterback at a 23 percent rate, the 11th highest in the NFL.