The Cincinnati Bengals will have quite a few familiar faces in uniform for them when they take the field in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there’s no doubt that the makeup of this team is quite different from what it was last year. After investing heavily on defense over the offseason, the Bengals have their sights set on making a deep playoff run in 2026.
After a rocky rookie season, one guy Cincy has been hoping to see big things from is 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart. Unfortunately, Stewart has been dealing with a knee injury throughout the summer, and according to the team’s final injury report ahead of the game, it seems like he won’t be ready to go for the Bengals’ season opener.
Shemar Stewart Listed as Doubtful for Bengals’ Week 1 Action
Cincy selected Stewart with the No. 17 overall pick in last year’s draft, but he ended becoming known more for his long-running contract dispute with the team, rather than his production on the field. When all was said and done, Stewart appeared in just eight games as a rookie, racking up 11 tackles, one sack, and one pass breakup during his time on the field.
Simply put, the Bengals are hoping for more from Stewart, but it remains to be seen if he will have a starting role along their defensive line once the season gets underway. Right now, Boye Mafe and Myles Murphy are penciled in as the team’s starters at defensive end, which means Stewart could be used in a reserve role to begin the year.
The problem is that Stewart is not healthy, as he was a candidate to land on injured reserve to begin the year due to his aforementioned injury. While he has remained on the active roster and is making progress in his quest to get himself ready for the season, Stewart has officially been listed as doubtful for Cincy’s Week 1 action.
Bengals DE Shemar Stewart is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s opener against Tampa Bay. All other Bengals are off the injury report,” Adam Schefter of ESPN shared in a post on X.
Bengals Hoping Shemar Stewart Can Get Healthy for Week 2
It’s still early in the season, and considering how high expectations are for Stewart in 2026, the Bengals aren’t going to push him to play if he isn’t fully healthy. It’s clear, though, that once Stewart finds his way onto the field, he’s going to have to find a way to deliver the goods, or his future with Cincinnati could quickly become quite murky.
Stewart could still technically suit up for this one, but being listed as doubtful in the NFL essentially means you aren’t going to play. Assuming Stewart doesn’t take the field, Cashius Howell and Cedric Johnson will see the lion’s share of snaps behind Mafe and Murphy against the Bucs. It will be worth making sure Stewart is actually ruled out, but unless something drastic happens, he won’t make his season debut until Week 2 at the earliest.
Former Bengals 1st-Round Pick Not Expected to Play vs. Buccaneers