Bengals front office can't get out of own way with first-round pick's mandatory minicamp exit

After the disastrous season Cincinnati had on defense in 2024, it can't afford a prolonged contract dispute with a player it added to help turn around the unit.

The Bengals ranked 25th in total defense (348.3 yards allowed per game) and scoring defense (25.5 points allowed per game) last season, spoiling quarterback Joe Burrow's best season.

Cincinnati became the second team in NFL history to lose four games when scoring at least 30 points (2002 Kansas City Chiefs), going 4-4 overall in such games. Per Stathead research, the rest of the league was 118-13 (.901) in those games, with the Indianapolis Colts (1-2) and Cleveland Browns (0-1) the only teams to post losing records.

Burrow led the league is passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) while completing a career-high 70.6 percent of his attempts. The offense should be just as potent in 2025 after the Bengals signed wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to lucrative multi-year extensions.

But the offensive firepower will be just as meaningless without the defense taking a significant step forward, which is becoming harder to envision.

The Bengals were already dealing with edge-rusher Trey Hendrickson's contract saga. The 2024 sack leader and first-team All-Pro has 57 sacks in four seasons with the Bengals and has insisted he won't play in 2025 without a new contract.

Stewart, the No. 17 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, is one of four  first-round picks to remain unsigned, joining Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter (No. 2 overall), Denver Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron (No. 20 overall) and Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston (No. 30 overall).

His contract dispute with the Bengals escalated on Wednesday when he dug his heels in when asked by reporters about negotiations.

"I'm 100 percent right," Stewart said, per The Athletic. He blasted the front office, saying it would rather "win an argument instead of winning more games." 

Cincinnati is in no position to get into petty squabbles over minor contract details. Writing for CBS Sports in 2023, former sports agent Joel Corry noted that due to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement, "There are very few negotiable items with rookie contracts anymore." 

Corry wrote that teams and rookies can negotiate over when signing bonuses payments are owed and placing conditions on salary guarantees.

"Another important consideration is the language outlining the voiding of salary guarantees," Corry added.

The Bengals have made a mountain out of a molehill. While the defense was the main culprit in the team's 2024 demise, the front office is shaping up to be 2025's biggest obstacle.