Shemar Stewart remains unsigned as Bengals training camp looms
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Shemar Stewart was one of the hot prospects throughout this year’s pre-draft process, wowing scouts and teams with his athleticism despite just 4.5 career sacks at Texas A&M. He was so impressive in the testing and pre-draft workouts that the Cincinnati Bengals made the move to grab the defensive lineman at 17 overall in the NFL Draft.
Unfortunately, the Bengals have had a mess with Stewart ever since he was selected, and the first-round pick remains unsigned as of Saturday, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. That’s a problem for many reasons, but especially because Cincinnati’s other rookies reported to the team on Saturday in preparation for training camp beginning next week.
Training camp officially begins on Wednesday, and veteran players report on Tuesday, so there is time for this situation to be resolved in time for Stewart to get a full training camp. But there has been no indication publicly that the two sides are closer to a resolution.
Earlier this week, there was a report that Stewart was actually considering a return to Texas A&M to play another season with the Aggies before re-entering the draft in 2026. There are multiple issues with that, including the fact that Stewart would have to fight the NCAA to be eligible this fall.
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Fortunately, Mike Elko was able to provide clarity on the A&M situation during SEC Media Days. According to Elko, Stewart is just working out to get ready for the NFL and claimed there is no chance Stewart will play for A&M this year.
As for the Bengals situation, we will just have to wait and see when Stewart finally puts ink to paper and begins his NFL career.
Paul Harvey lives in Atlanta and covers SEC football.
