Bengals’ Shemar Stewart put on IR, to miss at least 4 games

• Ben BabyNov 15, 2025, 02:14 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).

PITTSBURGH — Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart, the team’s first-round draft pick, was placed on injured reserve and will miss a minimum of four weeks, the team announced Saturday.

Stewart has been dealing with a knee injury, suffered in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Chicago Bears.

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Saturday’s development also drastically shifted the timetable presented by coach Zac Taylor on Friday when he was asked when Stewart and defensive end Trey Hendrickson could return to practice.

“At this point, today, just keep taking it week to week,” Taylor said.

This is the second significant injury Stewart has suffered this season. An ankle injury forced him to miss four games in the middle of the season.

Stewart didn’t start participating in on-field drills this season until he signed his rookie contract in July, after training camp had started. Stewart missed offseason workouts amid a contract dispute that was eventually resolved.

Stewart has appeared in five games and four starts. He has yet to record a sack this season but has six tackles.