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Bengals' Stewart sits amid contract language flap

  • Ben BabyMay 20, 2025, 04:06 PM ET

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      Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).

CINCINNATI — Defensive end Shemar Stewart, the most prominent member of the Bengals’ 2025 draft class, watched from a distance during Tuesday’s voluntary workout in what has effectively turned into a hold-in situation.

A perceived alteration in the contract language for rookies is why Stewart, the 17th overall pick out of Texas A&M, has not done any on-field work since being drafted by the Bengals.

“I’m not asking for anything crazy,” Stewart told ESPN on Tuesday. “I’m not even asking for nothing. I just want things to be consistent. I just want consistent language as in the past contracts. I just won’t practice until I get that.”

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