Two of the players that have had the most buzz surrounding them this offseason are Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart.
Both guys have not yet signed with the team for a few different reasons, and there has been a bit of a feeling of hostility as a result. But in a recent interview, Bengals center Ted Karras said that there is no bad blood in the locker room.
“The main thing I want to say is, I don’t think, to either of our defensive ends, that there’s any harboring resentment in this locker room to them, and I really hope that both camps can figure this out because we have a really good team,” Karras said. “We’ve had a super productive spring, and you just don’t want this to carry over into summer.”
Hendrickson and the Bengals have not been able to agree on a new contract, so it seems likely that the star edge rusher will likely be playing elsewhere in 2025. Which is too bad, because he led the NFL in sacks this past season, which any team would love to have.
As for Stewart, he remains the only player from the 2025 NFL Draft that has not yet been signed to his rookie deal. The team would love to get that done, as it would help them with depth off the edge, especially if Hendrickson leaves.
Cincinnati allowed the eighth-most yards in the league this past season, so they could use all the help they can get on the defensive side of the ball.
