CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart will be out for multiple weeks with a hyperextended left knee, coach Zac Taylor told reporters Thursday.
The team's 2025 first-round pick went down Wednesday during team drills on the opening day of training camp. Stewart had to be carted off the field and had imaging done later in the day to see the extent of the damage.
But given how it looked initially, Taylor was glad the damage wasn't more severe.
"He's put in a lot of work," Taylor said of Stewart. "Hard to see him go down like that, but the good news is we'll be getting him back sooner rather than later."
Stewart never found his footing in his rookie year. After a contract dispute kept him off the field until shortly after the 2025 training camp started, Stewart picked up a right ankle injury in Week 2 that forced him to miss the next four games. He then missed another five games in the middle of the season with a knee injury.
Stewart totaled one sack and started five of the eight games he played in last season.
Coming into this year, Stewart was pleased with the work he did in the offseason to get ready for an improved second season with the Bengals. In May, he told ESPN about having a more focused approach for the upcoming season.
"It's all about intentionality," Stewart said. "So it's just being more intentional with things and trying to be apply everything they pour into me on[to] the field."
The Bengals are hopeful that Stewart and a revamped defensive line can be a strength of the entire team. Cincinnati added four key pieces in the offseason to bolster that unit, including Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II.
