BREAKING NEWS: Bengals' first-round pick Shemar Stewart exits minicamp

Deadspin | Bengals' first-round pick Shemar Stewart exits minicamp

Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart looks on during the Bengals Rookie Mini Camp on Friday, May 9, 2025 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

Bengals unsigned first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart has left mandatory minicamp in Cincinnati, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.

Per the Cincinnati Enquirer, Stewart left camp so as not to be a distraction to the other players.

Stewart, 21, had been attending voluntary workouts and team meetings but steered clear of participating in on-field activities. The Bengals selected the Texas A&M defensive end with the 17th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Stewart is not planning to sign with the Bengals until they adjust the language in their contract offer to match the outline of the contracts signed by the team’s previous two first-round selections (Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims).

“I’ve been doing this for most of my whole life, and then all of a sudden it’s gone over something very simple to fix,” Stewart told reporters on Tuesday. “It’s kind of disappointing.”

Bengals coach Zac Taylor talked to the media about Stewart after practice Thursday.

“For all the rookies, you’d like them to be on the field but certainly there’s things that happen over the course of an NFL career and this is one of them right now,” Taylor said of Stewart missing out on preparation time. “So he’s been in the meetings. He’s been positive in that way. He’s been learning. He’s been a good learner, and we look forward to getting him back on the field quickly.”

Taylor said he didn’t know how the contract process would progress and wouldn’t guess whether Stewart would be with the team when camp opens next month.

“I’m not going to make any predictions,” he said.