Chicago Bears Need to Trade for Shemar Stewart

Cincinnati Bengals to Trade Shemar Stewart? 3 Landing Spots

The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Shemar Stewart with the 17th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and after just a season and a half, he’s already being discussed as a trade candidate. NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler discussed him as a player that could be drawing serious interest at the NFL Trade Deadline:

“One surprise name a few teams are tracking is Cincinnati edge rusher Shemar Stewart. The 2025 first-round pick is not a factor in the team’s rotation right now. He has played 17 defensive snaps, well behind the total for the fourth defensive end, Cedric Johnson (83). And rookie second-rounder Cashius Howell has been impressive. Cincinnati typically doesn’t move its young draft picks, but it would be surprising if the Bengals haven’t received inquiries on Stewart, whose upside remains high.”

If you’re reading the tea-leaves, there seems to be a feeling from the Cincinnati Bengals organization that there isn’t a good enough pathway forward with Shemar to not listen to potential trade calls.

Is Shemar Stewart a Bust?

Before getting into the trade conversation, we have to get this out of the way. Stewart’s story is still being written, and there is no world right now where he is a bust. This is a guy who truly just needs an opportunity to get consistent reps to see who he can become. We should not forget the hype that came out of the NFL Combine.

Shemar Stewart is 6’5, 270 pounds, 84 3/4in wingspan, 40” vertical, 10′ 11” broad jump.

Myles Garrett is 6’4, 272 pounds, 82 1/4in wingspan, 41” vertical, and 10′ 8” broad jump.

While this does not mean he is Myles Garrett, it shows from a physical standpoint, there is a ton to work with when it comes to Stewart.

Should the Bengals Trade Shemar Stewart?

This is absolutely a loaded question because this takes us back to the decision making when selecting Stewart in the draft knowing he was a player that would need serious time to develop. He was ALWAYS viewed as a traits style player who needed to be refined, so he would have needed to see more reps to develop.

Stewart played in 280 snaps in 2025 after only being available for only 8 games, and has only played in 17 snaps so far in 2026.

The reason I know why the player Stewart is right now is not indicitive of who he will be later in his career is looking at the amount of snaps for his other peers.

Dallas Turner is a defensive player of the year candidate in 2026 so far, but that was after playing 206 snaps as a rookie and 702 in his second year. This is the case for many other pass rushers like Chop Robinson and others.

I understand the lack of snaps is not on the Bengals because Stewart dealt with multiple injuries in 2025, and then dealt with more injuries in 2026 so far.

I would be concerned that the Bengals would be losing out on the best of Shemar by giving up on him too early, but we also need to take into account where Cincinnati is at right now. This is a team with true Super Bowl aspiriations, and can they afford giving Stewart “learning lessons” in big-time games? That’s the golden question because guys like Boye Mafe, Myles Murphy, Cashius Howell, and Cedric Johnson have all proved to be quality players this season.

As of Week 7, the way the relationship between Cincinnati and Stewart is so far, as well as the depth at the edge rusher spot and the potential trade return makes me believe that the Bengals should AT LEAST listen to potential trade offers.

Chicago Bears

The Bears were in on the Maxx Crosby sweepstakes this offseason, and sitting at 4-2, this is a team that should be buyers at the deadline.

ESPN also listed them as a team that could trade for an EDGE: “Let’s get it some extra depth on the edge. The Bears actually have a 9.8% sack rate when they rush four or fewer this season, one of the best rates in the NFL, but they’re operating somewhere below 100%. Dayo Odeyingbo is on injured reserve, and Montez Sweat is serving a two-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Both will be back sooner rather than later, but nobody has ever gotten to the postseason and complained about having too many pass rushers.”

Personally I’ve liked the contributions they’ve received from Austin Booker and Montez Sweat, but the defense still needs to get more guys on the defensive line, and investing a draft pick into a player in Stewart who has a ton of potential still.

Green Bay Packers

I’ve seen the Packers thrown around in some of these conversations, but with Micah Parsons returning soon, and having Luke Van Ness and Dani Dennis Sutton there make me wary if Green Bay would shell out alot for a Stewart trade. If this were to happen, one thing that should entice Cincinnati is a potential trade for Carrington Valentine. He truly has the talent to be a starting boundary corner in the NFL.

Detroit Lions

Are we just listing NFC North teams? The Lions have their superstar Aidan Hutchinson, but outside of that it looks slim. Their current leader in sacks is DJ Wonnum but they need to add some players who will compliment Aidan in terms of pass rush.

Potential Trade Return for Shemar Stewart

The Cincinnati Bengals are a true contender so you can expect for them likely to be in the waters of adding players to help the team now. The targets I would say would be in the secondary like a Derwin James from the Chargers, Valentine from the Packers, or like a Kristian Fulton from the Chiefs.

If there is no player involved, the Bengals likely can still get a 3rd-4th rounder for Stewart. This is a player barely a year removed from being drafted in the 1st round, so teams would likely be willing to part ways with a mid-round pick.