When Shemar Stewart went down early in Bengals training camp, it looked like his season was already over after his leg bent in a frighteningly gruesome manner.
Thankfully, it turned out to be a hyperextension with no torn ligaments. However, he was still expected to miss at least one month of action, and potentially the start of the regular season. Opening the season with an IR-return designation also appeared very much in the cards as the final Week 1 roster was made.
Now, there appears to be a chance Stewart is able to play in Week 1 when Cincinnati hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off the 2026 season.
On Monday, Stewart practiced and even shed his knee brace.
After practice, head coach Zac Taylor said Stewart “looked good” and was encouraged by the progress made by the second-year defensive end.
In addition, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Athletic had this update on Stewart from defensive coordinator Al Golden:
Shemar Stewart ramp up enjoying a big surge lately. They are still figuring out a plan, but “very encouraged and excited” about how he looked today. There’s a process getting him back to speed with consistency, but not starting at zero this time: “We can’t do anything about lost time. Clearly, this is Year 2 for him, too. It’s not like a year ago where everything is new, both technique and concept. From that standpoint the journey shouldn’t be as long to try to get him back.”
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Shemar Stewart ramp up enjoying a big surge lately. They are still figuring out a plan, but “very encouraged and excited” about how he looked today. There’s a process getting him back to speed with consistency, but not starting at zero this time: “We can’t do anything about lost time. Clearly, this is Year 2 for him, too. It’s not like a year ago where everything is new, both technique and concept. From that standpoint the journey shouldn’t be as long to try to get him back.”
The good thing about Stewart is the Bengals have plenty of capable bodies on the edge, so there’s no need to rush him back if he’s not ready. But by the sound of it, Stewart may very well be healthy enough to play Sunday when the Bucs come to town.
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