Insider notes on Bengal drama: Trey Hendrickson's main concern, Shemar Stewart potentially missing rookie season, and more

The Cincinnati Bengals are a team that many expect to be in the postseason this year and possibly contend for a spot in the AFC title game, if not the Super Bowl. Yet the team is in the news for all the wrong reasons recently, as two pass rushers on their depth chart, one veteran and the other recently selected in April’s draft, are on the outside looking in as training camp opens.

The situation has Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow publicly expressing his disappointment. Here’s the latest.

Syndication: The Enquirer - Source: Imagn

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Before the 2024 season, I reported on multiple occasions that veteran pass rusher Trey Hendrickson was looking for a contract extension that would keep him with the Cincinnati Bengals for the foreseeable future, if not the remainder of his career.

Cincinnati is the place Hendrickson wants to be, yet as the Bengals open camp, Hendrickson is staying away. The four-time Pro Bowler was First Team All-Pro in 2024 after totaling 17.5 sacks, which matched his career best from the prior season, while adding 19 TFLs.

Hendrickson initially signed a four-year contract with the Bengals in 2021, choosing Cincinnati over the New York Jets, and the deal was later enhanced for the 2024 season.

I’m told the Bengals and Hendrickson have agreed on the money portion of a deal, but as has been reported elsewhere, the number of guaranteed years remains the obstacle.

There have been reports that Hendrickson is looking for two years guaranteed in his contract while Cincinnati is only offering one, yet sources tell me the pass rusher is looking for a deal that will include guarantees for three years, at which point he’ll have been in the league 11 seasons.

Interestingly enough, I’m told there have been no recent face-to-face negotiations between the Bengals and Hendrickson or his team. There seems to be no sense of urgency coming from the Bengals' front office, which is strange, as losing Hendrickson would set back the Cincinnati franchise on the field and in the locker room.

The player the Bengals hoped would fill the void if Hendrickson eventually plays elsewhere is also on the sidelines, holding out.

Shemar Stewart, the 17th pick of April’s draft, has also not shown up to his first NFL camp. As reported by multiple sources, the Bengals want language inserted in the rookie’s contract that allows them to void the deal at any time for off-the-field transgressions the franchise deems as detrimental conduct.

Stewart’s deal will eventually get done, as rookies have slotted contracts and there isn’t much room for negotiation. Yet league sources tell me that the longer Stewart holds out, the worse it will be, and there could come a time when his rookie season will be a complete washout.

Despite all his wonderful testing numbers in the lead-up to the draft, Stewart’s production has never come close to matching his raw talent. Stewart started 19 of 37 games over three seasons at Texas A&M, yet only recorded a total of 4.5 sacks. As I reported since the combine, concerns over Stewart are that he’s a straight-line defender and not a natural edge rusher.

Sources tell me the opening weeks of camp are critical for Stewart learning how to translate his natural ability into pass-rushing skills. The main concern is that the longer he holds out, the more difficult the learning curve will be as the team installs defensive packages it intends to use throughout the season.