Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart has seemed like a new player on and around the field in the early goings of his second season as a pro.
No wonder: After the Bengals drafted him last year, Stewart got off to a slow start thanks to a weird contract spat that didn’t produce much of a win for him. Then, he was on and off the field due to injuries.
Fast forward to this offseason. Stewart has sounded like a different player in interviews and seems poised for a breakout.
Doing an interview on the Sports with Strawberry Ice show, CLNS Media’s Mike Petraglia noted that former Bengals like Trey Hendrickson had an influence on Stewart last year.
“His attitude wasn’t great,” Petraglia said. “He did not come into a good situation. We all know
about his rookie holdout. … “The other thing he was dealing with was Trey Hendrickson. And to a much lesser degree, Joseph Ossai. There were guys in that locker room who, when they asked him ‘what’s it like playing here?,’ kind of went, ‘well if you want the honest truth, here’s the deal kid.’”
Shemar Stewart looks like a DIFFERENT man.
— Sports with Strawberry Ice (@JeffATrennepohl) September 22, 2026
The attitude.
The confidence.
The preparation.
The maturity.
Mike Petraglia joined me today to talk about the change we’ve seen in Stewart — and then Shemar comes back against Houston and gets a SACK in his 2026 debut. 👀🔥
Is this… pic.twitter.com/emkWfF2mLX
Petraglia goes on to note that this sort of perception-warping about the Bengals from some in the locker room actually put Stewart behind further than any injury.
It certainly matches what Bengals fans could see about the locker room and Hendrickson himself. Stewart’s rookie year saw a captain like Logan Wilson quickly ask for a trade. He also watched as Hendrickson flew into camp and gave interviews on the sidelines while his teammates practiced behind him. Stewart himself was part of a contingent of Bengals players who infamously laughed off interview requests after a loss that same winter.
That’s just a few public-facing examples of how shaky things had gotten in the Bengals’ defensive locker room over the years (who else remembers cameras catching Germaine Pratt yelling at Joseph Ossai after a playoff loss?).
And Stewart is perhaps the best example that the overhaul to the depth chart and locker room, spearheaded by the arrival of veterans like Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, has been a success so far.
Granted, Stewart will need to keep taking steps as he gets more chances on the field. And the mettle of the new locker room will get tested in losses more than wins. But as more comes to light, the why behind certain offseason moves goes beyond just what happens on the field, it would seem.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Shemar Stewart's growth paints Trey Hendrickson in iffy light
