Bengals defense dealt potential blow following scary injury to 2025 first-round pick

The Bengals made significant strides to fix one of the league's worst defenses during the offseason, including trading for three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and signing edge-rusher Boye Mafe and safety Bryan Cook in free agency. Those moves — particularly at the line of scrimmage — led to optimism Stewart could be headed for a breakout campaign.

In May, Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson wrote about the impact of Lawerence's arrival, and Stewart said, "He definitely came up to me and said he's going to push me...He's going to come in and try and push me to be the best version of myself."

Mafe praised Stewart's work ethic, telling Hobson, "I see a hungry kid... He's like a sponge when it comes to knowledge. He's willing to learn everything and anything he can about the game."

During minicamp practice, Bengals radio announcer Dan Hoard observed Stewart appearing "a split-second faster."

"It's been a great start to year two," Stewart told Hobson. "Once you know what you're doing, you can play and move a little faster."

If Stewart's injury is long-term, that will put the onus on Myles Murphy, Cincinnati's 2023 first-round pick, and rookie second-rounder Cashius Howell to complement Lawrence and Mafe along the line of scrimmage while requiring fringe roster candidates including Cedric Johnson, Isaiah Foskey and Antwaun Powell-Ryland to step up.

Even with one of the league's most talented offenses led by quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the Bengals are far from a sure thing because of their defense. Losing Stewart would be a blow, although there's still hope the injury isn't as bad as initial reports indicate. When it comes to Cincinnati's defense, however, we've been conditioned to expect the worse.