The Cincinnati Bengals are gearing up for an early morning primetime showdown with the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid.
The Bengals are coming off a stressful overtime win against the Tennessee Titans and are now looking for their sixth win of the season.
One storyline that has emerged in the past few weeks is how little former first round pick Shemar Stewart has seen the field.
Stewart was the Bengals’ first-round pick in 2025 and has battled injuries and playing time since arriving in Cincinnati.
Zac Taylor
was recently asked about the Stewart situation, and he shared some insight on everything going on and what he thinks of the former Texas A&M Aggie.
“I’ve seen a lot of positive from Shemar. The good part for our team is we have a really deep defensive line group, and that hasn’t been about what Shemar’s been doing, right or wrong. It’s been that we’ve had a really strong group, but now he’s going to get more of an opportunity with Cashius being out, and he’s prepared himself for this moment,” Taylor told reporters this week.
“I’m really excited to see him get that opportunity. He’s approached it the right way. He’s had a really good mindset throughout this season. He missed a lot of training camp. That was as big as anything. That was an issue. So, I’m excited to watch Shemar going forward. He’s done everything the right way, and we’re going for him.”
Cashius Howell is now on IR, and Cedric Johnson has been dealing with some injury issues, so there could be an opportunity for Stewart to see the field more.
Stewart is incredibly athletic, and his skill set could be needed more than ever to bring superstar running back Bijan Robinson to the ground Sunday morning.
