The Cincinnati Bengals have placed 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart on Injured Reserve, as reported on Saturday. The EDGE defender has been dealing with a knee issue and the team is attempting to open up a roster spot as he heals.
The move will keep Stewart out for at least four games, as the team attempts to find options in a battered position group. Trey Hendrickson has also been ruled out for the Week 11 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, putting guys like Joseph Ossai, Cam Sample, Cedric Johnson, Myles Murphy and others in the spotlight for the foreseeable future.
Cincinnati is dead-last in the league in total defense, while also only having 13 quarterback sacks this season—the second-lowest total in the NFL. The Bengals did add Antwaun Powell-Ryland to their Practice Squad this week, so that’s another name to watch.
Stewart’s rookie season is becoming a tumultuous one, to say the least. After being selected No. 17 overall, Stewart was a longtime contractual holdout, with the stalemate lasting until training camp.
He had a promising first start against the Browns, but suffered an ankle injury in Week 2. That lingering issue, coupled with the recent knee problem has limited him to five games played this season. Stewart has totaled just two solo tackles and one quarterback hit.
The team made some corresponding moves with the Stewart news Cincinnati also elevated defensive end Isaiah Foskey and running back Kendall Milton, while placing offensive lineman Jaxson Kirkland on the Practice Squad/Injured list.
Foskey is a former 2023 second-round pick by New Orleans and joined the Bengals this year. At 6’5” and 280 pounds, he’s the large EDGE prototype Cincinnati has traditionally liked. He has played in one game for Cincinnati this year.
Milton is in his second season with the Bengals, seeing action in two games last year. His rise to the active roster is in the wake of Samaje Perine’s recent ankle injury.
Kirkland was a name that had been kicked around in the early months of 2025 as being a potential viable candidate for a starting guard spot. That didn’t come to fruition, but he’s spent the last three seasons with the Bengals, and was a former three-time All-PAC-12 First-Team designee.
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