On Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals will kick off their season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Paycor Stadium.
The Bengals had an overall positive training camp and preseason, in which the team fortunately avoided any major injuries. While there were some scares like Ja’Marr Chase leaving one practice, perhaps the worst injury news for Cincinnati was the scary injury former first-round pick Shemar Stewart suffered.
Early on in training camp, Stewart was carted off with an injury. Although the injury kept him sidelined for most of training camp, it was good news since the fear originally was that it would keep him out for the season.
Cincinnati Bengals Get Positive Injury Update
Now, with the Cincinnati Bengals ready to begin their season, they have received another encouraging update regarding Stewart.
Sina Torki of Cleveland.com wrote: “Defensive end Shemar Stewart returned to practice as a full participant on Wednesday for the first time since hyperextending his left knee during Cincinnati’s opening training camp session on July 29. Head coach Zac Taylor said he won’t rule Stewart out for Sunday’s opener, but added that the team will monitor his progress through the rest of the week before settling on his exact role — meaning his workload against Tampa Bay remains a game-day decision even with his return to practice.”
While Stewart’s status for the team’s opener still appears up in the air, even if he does not play the fact he’s close to returning is a positive sign for Cincinnati going forward.
Additionally, Cincinnati also received some positive news on cornerback Dax Hill, as Torki added: “Cornerback Dax Hill is not listed on the injury report at all and is expected to play in the opener. Hill missed most of training camp and the preseason with a hamstring/soft-tissue issue, but Taylor has been encouraged by his return to practice, saying Hill has looked really good to his eye.”
Shemar Stewart’s Role
Despite failing to make a big impact as a rookie, Cincinnati would hope for a sophomore leap out of Stewart.
Regarding his role on the team, A to Z Sports’ John Sheeran wrote: “Once Stewart gets back in the swing of things, Cincinnati is counting on him filling a key role behind starters Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy. Isaiah Foskey and this year’s second-round pick Cashius Howell, who played with Stewart at A&M, are getting reps in his place for now.”
Last season, Stewart appeared in only eight games as he also dealt with injuries. During those eight games, Stewart notched only one sack.
– 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
The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. posted of Stweart’s return on X: “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.”
Bengals Get Encouraging News on First-Round Pick Before Week 1