The wait is finally over and the Cincinnati Bengals were able to get first-round pick Shemar Stewart signed and into camp. It was an arduous process, but the last first rounder in the NFL to sign is in training camp now.
Head coach Zac Taylor is excited to have him in the fold in the hopes that Stewart can make a Swiss-cheese defense less Swiss cheesy.
“It’s good, get him back out here, get him acclimated,” Taylor said Sunday. “It’s great just to get him in individual drills and the fundamental stuff, we got him some reps, he probably got over 10 reps in there. So again, we’ll watch the tape and keep building from there. but just good to get out here day one and get him back.”
For his part, Stewart is just happy that the ordeal is over.
“There was never me versus anybody,” Stewart said after training camp practice today. “We just didn’t see eye to eye at [that] point.
“At the end of the day, I’m happy to be a Bengal. I’m happy that I got drafted here. We have a long relationship ahead of us. There’s no bad blood. It’s just how things go sometimes.”
What does Zac Taylor expect of Stewart?
Taylor knows that Stewart can’t be some sort of Lawrence Taylor on the first day of camp. He understands that there will be a learning curve.
“Be a consistent guy,” Taylor said. “Don’t make the same mistake twice. We know that there’s going to be some mistakes. There’s going to be some install overloads early on in the process.
“It’s just making sure, ‘Okay, I made a mistake on this. I’m going to make sure it’s corrected. I’m better there.’ and then plug the leak as it occurs somewhere else. So again, he’s got plenty of time. It’s great to get him now when we can because we put pads on tomorrow.”
The Bengals had the 25th-ranked defense in the NFL in 2024, so every little bit helps. And that’s not even bringing up the whole Trey Hendrickson fiasco.
Stewart is eager to learn the Bengals’ playbook in training camp
While Stewart had to be confident that this deal would get done, there had to be plenty of moments of doubt. The level of uncertainty and anxiety in the process had to be palpable.
“I just needed to be on the field as soon as possible,” Stewart said. “I need to start learning, start getting better. It’s a long season ahead. I needed to be ready.”
That’s a great attitude, but not the one he had a couple of months ago when he publicly ripped team management.
“In my case, I’m 100% right,” Stewart said then. “I’m not asking for nothing that’s never been done before. In [the team’s case], y’all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.”
He wasn’t wrong at all. Just ask any player that has had contract issues with the Bengals in the past. You could probably step outside your door and hit one with a rock. They are everywhere.
But, all that is behind him now and he’s ready to move forward.
“I just put trust in myself, believe in what I could do, believe in my coaches, believe in their coaching,” Stewart said. “I’m just coming every day ready to work.”
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