CINCINNATI — When it comes to training camp, the first rule of practice for the Cincinnati Bengals defense is simple: Never hit Joe Burrow. The second rule is also pretty simple: See the first rule.
It took exactly three weeks, but someone finally broke that rule and that came Wednesday when rookie Shemar Stewart accidentally went low on Burrow. Stewart’s hit sparked the first real scuffle of training camp with the offense and defense going at it.
For the past four years, Burrow has been dealing with some sort of injury at training camp, so any time he goes down or takes a low hit, you can almost hear everyone in Cincinnati holding their breath. Fortunately for the Bengals, Burrow came away from Stewart’s hit unscathed. After Wednesday’s practice, the Bengals star quarterback had a simple message for Stewart, which the rookie pass-rusher shared on Friday.
“‘It’s cool, as long as you do it on Sundays, too,'” Stewart said of what Burrow told him. “He kept it cool, short-and-sweet, and we just forgot about it.”
LOOK: Bengals fight during practice after Joe Burrow gets hit by first-round pick Shemar Stewart
Bryan DeArdo
If Stewart’s performance in training camp is any indication, there’s a very good chance that he’s going to be able to “do it on Sundays.” Although he missed the first three practices of training camp due to his contract dispute with the team, he’s been a force since showing up for his first practice on July 27.
Stewart finished his 12th practice with the team on Friday, and the impressive thing is that he seems to make several big plays every time he’s on the field. During an 11-on-11 period Friday, Stewart racked up another camp sack. The rookie could have put his hands on Burrow, but he’s definitely learned his lesson, because this time, he settled for a practice sack, which is where you don’t touch the quarterback.
After practice, Stewart seemed pretty excited that he was able to avoid contact with Burrow. “You see me? I had a little Matrix,” the rookie said, via WCPO 9.
The 21-year-old, who comes with a lot of hype as a first-round pick, has slowly been living up to that hype. Well, as much as a player can in their first training camp. Stewart has been setting small goals in practice each day, and that’s been paying off for him.
“I’m not trying to rush the process to be the greatest player ever,” Stewart said. “I’m trying to take everything day by day. If I can get 1% better each day, at least I improve somewhere.”
Stewart was brought in to Cincinnati because the Bengals needed a pass-rusher to complement Trey Hendrickson, and although Hendrickson hasn’t practiced yet during training camp due to a contract dispute, he has been a constant presence at the Bengals practice facility.
Hendrickson has 35 sacks over the past two seasons, which is the most any player in the NFL, and that includes the 17.5 he racked in in 2024 when he led the league in sacks. It’s not every day a rookie gets to walk in and learn from the reigning NFL sack leader, but that’s the case with Stewart, who has gotten plenty of helpful tips from Hendrickson over the past few weeks.
“He definitely gives me advice,” Stewart said. “Whenever I do a pass-rushing rep, he’ll pull me to the side, like, ‘Hey this is what you need to do better … to get to the quarterback even faster.’ He says the difference between an All-Pro and a second-team All-Pro is a half-second. He always gives me tips and tricks to polish off my rushing technique.”
Stewart understands how rare it is to get advice from a guy like Hendrickson, so he isn’t taking that for granted.
“I feel like that’s more valuable than anything in the world,” Stewart said of the advice he’s getting from Hendrickson. “Especially when you want to be a great player in this game. All I got to do is open my ears and be a sponge.”
If Stewart can just be half as effective as Hendrickson, the Bengals’ decision to use a first-round pick on him will almost certainly pay off.