Bengals Center Calls Out Shemar Stewart After He Bumped Into Joe Burrow at Practice

The rookie defensive end was involved in a scuffle on Wednesday.

Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart bumped into Joe Burrow during practice. / Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During Wednesday's Bengals practice, a scuffle occurred between the offense and defense with rookie Shemar Stewart at the forefront. In the midst of everything, Stewart ended up bumping into quarterback Joe Burrow, sparking a response from the offensive line. They were protecting their quarterback.

After practice, veteran center Ted Karras had a message for Stewart when speaking to the media. Karras acknowledged that Stewart is a great player, but he needs to be more careful when it comes to his temper on the football field, especially around Burrow. But, Karras admitted this was a moment in which the offensive line needs to reflect, too.

"Just be smarter," Karras said, via WLWT's Charlie Clifford. "... Great player, but come on, man. That's all our hopes and dreams right there. We [the offensive line] gotta be better, too. That's on us."

Ted Karras notes that Shemar Stewart running into Joe Burrow on a pass rush sparked a response from the o-line:

“Come on man that’s all our hopes and dreams right there. But, we’ve got to be better too. That’s on us.” pic.twitter.com/zBNvFzAXik

— Charlie Clifford (@char_cliff) August 13, 2025

Stewart is still getting somewhat used to the team as he just started practicing with them after July 25 when he signed his rookie contract. He skipped out on practices leading up to then as he was holding out for a better contract situation. It was a long saga, and now Stewart has a lot less time to acclimate to his first NFL team.

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