Shemar Stewart

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports Bengals EDGE Shemar Stewart has left mandatory minicamp amid his contract dispute with the team.

The value of every drafted rookie’s contract is determined by where they were selected in the draft, so it’s hard to imagine how a team could drag their feet this aggressively. The Bengals, however, have found a way. They are reportedly haggling over certain clauses in Stewart’s deal. The good news for Stewart is that he isn’t subject to fines for missing minicamp because he’s not under contract yet. Stewart was previously in attendance but not practicing. He’s now out of the building entirely. We fully expect the two sides to get this taken care of before training camp, but it’s another example of the Bengals’ front office needlessly pinching pennies from their players.