The Cincinnati Bengals‘ pass rush could be in a state of transition this season.
With uncertainty surrounding All-Pro Trey Hendrickson’s future, the Bengals chose freakishly athletic edge Shemar Stewart in the first round of April’s 2025 NFL Draft, as a likely insurance policy on the veteran being in Cincinnati this season but also as a possible complement to one of the premier players in the sport.
If the Bengals and Hendrickson make amends before the 2025 campaign gets underway, Stewart, who only posted 4.5 sacks across three seasons at Texas A&M, could battle Joseph Ossai for a starting job.
Bleacher Report NFL analyst Matt Holder suggests the first-round pick could wind up stealing a spot in the starting lineup this summer.
“Dating back to his days as a prospect coming out of Texas,” Holder writes for B/R. “Ossai has been viewed as more of a situational pass-rusher than an every-down defender. That’s continued in the pros, whereas the Texas A&M product is the superior run defender and has a better chance at developing into a complete player.
“Also, don’t sleep on 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy, who could also factor into the equation here.”
Stewart, 6-foot-5 and 257 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.59 seconds, while turning in one of the most impressive NFL Combine performances in recent memory by an edge rusher. If Stewart’s explosiveness and traits can translate to production on the field at the NFL level, then the Bengals could have tremendous value on their hands at a vital position.
NFL Agent’s Advice for Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson
If Stewart winds up winning the preseason position battle, it remains to be seen who his running mate will be.
Hendrickson, who posted 17.5 sacks each of the past two seasons, has vowed not to play out the final year of his current contract. According to Hendrickson, the Bengals have told him that he would be fined if he skips Cincinnati’s mandatory minicamp.
According to one veteran agent, if he represented Hendrickson, this holdout would be a lengthy one.
“If I represented him,” a prominent agent with multiple top-tier pass rushers as clients tells me. “We’d be sitting out until Week 11. Make them come to the table.”
While Stewart has the chance to add quality depth and perhaps develop into a disruptive pass rush presence, there is little doubt that without Hendrickson, the Bengals’ defense which was a key reason the franchise missed the playoffs last season, would be decidedly worse.
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