Possible glimmer of hope arrives for Bengals to work through Shemar Stewart contract stalemate

Nolen was picked one spot ahead of Stewart in the first round. Prior to Tuesday, they were the last two unsigned players drafted between picks 10-19.

Stewart is now all by himself, and more importantly, a sandwich has been made with him in the middle. 

Bengals should now have all the framework needed for Shemar Stewart's rookie contract

Nolen signing his deal is key because the 18th overall pick, Seattle Seahawks guard Grey Zabel, already signed his rookie contract back in May. Contracts for players picked directly before and after a player established and agreed to should provide the parameters for said player. In this case, that player is Stewart.

Monetary values are not in question here. The rookie wage scale does a good job of setting financials in place long before picks are even made. There's nothing for the Bengals and Stewart to negotiate in that regard. 

The structures for both Zabel and Nolen's deals, however, may give the Bengals and Stewart further clarity on how his contract should look like.

A whole bunch of first round picks signed their contracts, including pick number 16, Walter Nolen, and pick No. 18, Gray Zabel. Typically, that means that if there is language in either of those deals that pertains to the contentious language that's from Shemar Stewart and the Bengals are disagreeing over right now, that should force the Bengals hand, could force the Bengals hand, if that language exists in the 16th and 18th picks contracts. - Locked On Bengals host Jake Liscow

Again, the raw numbers in the deals aren't exactly negotiable. The way some of the cash is paid out can be, as is the language Stewart is contesting. If Nolen and Zabel's deals contain the language the Bengals desire in Stewart's contract, they may have a leg to stand on. 

This is further supported based on the statement Cincinnati provided to The Enquirer's Kelsey Conway from May 12:

We expect that as other first-round draft picks get signed, this will get resolved. - Bengals statement on Shemar Stewart 

As it stands now, Stewart's deal is one of five first-round picks left unsigned. One of them has second overall pick Travis Hunter's name on it, and the other three were drafted after Stewart.

Unsigned first-round picks remaining  

• Pick 2: Travis Hunter
• Pick 17: Shemar Stewart
• Pick 20: Jahdae Barron
• Pick 30: Maxwell Hairston
• Pick 31: Jihaad Campbell

Hours after Nolen signed, Stewart emphasized where he stands with negotiations.

"If I really wanted to say, I can't say what I really want to say," Stewart told reporters. "It's their contract. They could do what they want with it.

"I'm 100 percent right."

We'll find out very soon if Nolen's deal helps both sides reach an agreement. If this persists past the next few days, we'll know the language is still an issue.