Shemar Stewart Showing Signs of Growth After 'Amazing' First NFL Sack

The rookie is healthy and starting to up his production.

Bengals continue training camp Monday July 28, 2025. Players and coaches ran drills outside on the practice lawn until rain moved the camp to the Bengals' inside practice facility. Bengals Shemar Stewart (97) at camp. | Phil Didion/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — The Bengals' 2025 first-round pick is finding some consistency down the stretch of the 2025 season. Defensive end Shemar Stewart fought ankle and knee injuries throughout much of this campaign to only suit up for seven total games thus far, but he's been impactful when fully healthy.

That got hammered home more through his first career sack in Sunday's 37-14 win over Arizona. Stewart finished that game with two tackles, two quarterback pressures, and the sack that he said "felt great, so amazing."

He posted an 88 overall Pro Football Focus grade when healthy in Week 1 and has been at 66.2 and 65, respectively, over these past two healthy games.

"It was very tough, especially mentally, for a player like me, who never got hurt during my college career, never missed a game, never missed a practice. But it was really hard on me mentally. With everything that has been going on, my mind has been going in one direction, but I should be fine," Stewart said candidly on Sunday.

Stewart's rookie season has still been far from a success, but much like the rest of the Bengals' overall defensive performances, he's cleaning up a lot of his early issues. 

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is excited to see him show this true potential in a healthy time period.

"He hasn't gotten a chance to just be healthy for a long stretch," Taylor said about Stewart on Sunday. "It's always a stop-start this year, no fault of his own with the injuries. So, to see him out there accumulating a bunch of snaps over these last couple weeks, first career sack, can get that off your back a little bit before you're going to the offseason. He's got a lot of potential for us."

Stewart will try to channel that Week 1 havoc in Sunday's season finale against Cleveland at 1 p.m. ET.

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