The Cincinnati Bengals are having a terrible offseason when it comes to dealing with their edge rushers, which is especially notable after the team’s defensive struggles in 2024 that derailed its season.
At the top of the list of edge rusher problems for Cincinnati is four-time Pro Bowler Trey Hendrickson, who is seeking a well-deserved pay raise after leading the NFL in sacks last season, and after having the most sacks combined the past two campaigns.
Things are going very badly on that front, as Hendrickson has expressed his frustration with the process publicly on more than one occasion.
Along with Hendrickson, the Bengals are also in a contract dispute with rookie edge rusher Shemar Stewart, who the team may have to lean on heavily if Hendrickson ends up getting traded at some point.
Still unsigned, Stewart has yet to practice this offseason. The dispute is over the Bengals trying to set a new precedent when it comes to rookie deals that would afford the team an opportunity to void future guarantees, according to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Bengals did not do that with either of their last two first-round picks, one of which came at No. 17 overall, where Stewart was selected.
The rookie, who is clearly frustrated over what amounts to a ridiculous situation, just wants what Cincy’s last two first-round picks got.
“I’m 100 percent right,” Stewart said of his side of the dispute. “I’m not asking for nothing y’all (the team) have never done before. But in y’all case, y’all just want to win arguments [more] than winning more games.”
Things took yet another ugly turn in the Stewart-Bengals contract saga on Thursday after head coach Zac Taylor revealed that the first-round pick has left mandatory minicamp entirely after being a bystander over the first two days.
Taylor did note, however, that he has had “good communication” with Stewart.
“He wasn’t here today. So we just focus on the guys that were here,” Taylor said of Stewart after practice on Thursday, according to Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “He and I have had private conversations.”
“There’s a first for everything,” Taylor said of the contract dispute. “Every year, you kinda learn something new in this position, and this is just one of those things that the players have managed really well. We keep the team moving, and when he jumps on the field, that’ll be great for our team.”
To see the Bengals go from taking care of guys like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to trying to pinch pennies with two players who are more valuable than Higgins in Stewart and Hendrickson in the same offseason is simply baffling.
Because of their idiotic stance, the Bengals now have a key rookie player who will get his first NFL practice at training camp, which is terrible for his development.
Meanwhile, there’s no end in sight with the Hendrickson situation and it feels more likely than not that he’ll be traded, which would be a devastating blow to the team’s chances of improving on defense in 2025.
