The Cincinnati Bengals received an unexpected surprise this week when quarterback Joe Burrow returned to the practice field. While he remains on injured reserve, it seems likely Burrow will be back in the starting lineup sooner than initially anticipated following his toe injury.
While Burrow will be back soon, the same can’t be said for pass rushers Trey Hendrickson and first-round pick Shemar Stewart, who were both ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hendrickson is listed as “week-to-week” according to head coach Zac Taylor while Stewart has been out of the starting lineup since suffering a knee injury against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 2.
But that’s just the beginning of the bad news for Stewart.
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The offseason holdout is heading to injured reserve, according to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero.
“Bengals DE Shemar Stewart is going on injured reserve because of a knee injury, per sources. Stewart, the first-round pick, showed flashes of dominance in Week 1. But an ankle injury in Week 2 has lingered and now a knee injury takes him out at least four games,” Pelissero said on X – formerly Twitter.
The Bengals selected Stewart with the No. 17 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but he’s failed to live up to the hype just yet. After dealing with two separate injuries during the season and racking up just six total tackles in five games, the rookie was honest about his performance.
“A lot of time missed, out four weeks. You know, it’s not ideal for somebody in their rookie season,” Stewart said in late October. “You need to be out there. You need to get those reps. So set me back a little bit, but I’m full steam ahead.”
Cincinnati faces off against a Steelers team that’s lost three of its last four games.
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