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

Shemar Stewart Assesses Preseason Debut with Cincinnati Bengals

Originally posted on Cincinnati Bengals on SI
By Russell Heltman | Last updated Aug 8, 2025 8:43 AM ET

Shemar Stewart ripped the NFL Band-Aid off this week with his first taste of preseason action in a 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.

The Bengals' top pick this past April notched one tackle for loss in the game amidst a shifting positional look that had him playing at multiple spots on the front.

He felt solid about his first NFL performance.

"Considering everything you know, today was good. Made a mistake here and there, but overall, it was a pretty good day. Pretty good day," Stewart told the media at his locker after the game.

Cincinnati gave up 132 rushing yards on four yards per carry in the game, a lackluster showing from the whole defensive front, but Stewart did force some pressure on Philly's quarterbacks and can grow from this outing.

Head coach Zac Taylor didn't have a definitive take on his outing before seeing the film.

"You've got to build yourself up sometime," Stewart said about assessing his close-to-sack moments. "We've got to take every little one you get. So hopefully, next time, next week, I probably could get there faster a little bit."

Stewart looked far from out of sorts as he sees the game slow down for him day by day in the whirlwind of an NFL rookie season.