One week after Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart made his 2026 season debut and recorded his first 2026 sack late in the fourth quarter of the team's NFL Week 2 win against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium, Stewart did not play a snap during the team's Week 3 loss in Pittsburgh.
A day after the loss, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor explained the decision to sideline Stewart, who was carted off the practice field after hyperextending his knee in July on the first day of training camp.
"We've got a really good defensive end group, you know, and all four of those guys played," Taylor told reporters. "I thought they played well. There's going to be moments we get Shemar more involved. Yesterday just didn't work out that way. You know, he's
still nine practices in, really. Started practicing three weeks ago. Happy with him. He's got a great effort, great attitude."
"And so there will be moments we're able to get him more plays," Taylor continued. "There'll be times where maybe he goes from a small number to 25-30, just so we know. So, he's had a good attitude about it. And yesterday was just one of those days where we had four guys playing and playing well. We'll get him in there at some point."
Stewart, the Bengals' first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, played in eight games during his rookie season for Cincinnati. He suffered a knee injury in November 2025 and was placed on the Reserve/Injured list.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals DE Shemar Stewart didn't play vs Steelers. Zac Taylor explains
