CINCINNATI — Shemar Stewart smiled as fans shouted his name as he prepared to walk across Central Avenue for his first practice with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Months of tension and heated back-and-forth comments regarding a contract dispute between the edge rusher and the team were in the past. Stewart officially signed his rookie contract after three missed practices and an entire offseason in which he had no on-field participation.
As far as Stewart was concerned, there is no hard feelings toward the Bengals given how everything transpired.
“There was never me versus anybody,” Stewart said after practice. “We just didn’t see eye to eye at [that] point.
“At the end of the day, I’m happy to be a Bengal. I’m happy that I got drafted here. We have a long relationship ahead of us. There’s no bad blood. It’s just how things go sometimes.”
The two sides were able to come to an agreement Friday after three missed practices. In exchange for the new contract language the Bengals wanted to insert in order to potentially void guaranteed money, Stewart received a better payout structure than previous Bengals first-round picks.
Stewart, the 17th pick in this year’s draft and the last unsigned first-round selection, said there came a point when he couldn’t afford to skip any more time.
“I just needed to be on the field as soon as possible,” Stewart said. “I need to start learning, start getting better. It’s a long season ahead. I needed to be ready.”
While he was away from the team, Stewart worked out with his old teammates at Texas A&M during their prep for the upcoming season. And even though A&M strength coach Tommy Moffitt pushed Stewart this summer, Stewart still had his hands full in his first NFL practice.
He received a handful of first-string reps Sunday and was among the players trying to find respite on a hot and humid day. Throughout the day, the defensive line tried to do anything they could to stay cool, from dunking their heads into a water cooler to having water-soaked towels draped over their heads between reps.
There was a lot of hands-on direction for Stewart, too. Bengals assistant Jerry Montgomery, the team’s new defensive line coach, worked closely with the rookie throughout the day. Stewart also received a lot of direction from assistant special teams coach Ben Jacobs in learning where to line up for defending field goals.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the goal is to get Stewart acclimated to the team as quickly as possible. Taylor said he believes Stewart has ample time to get ready for the season opener on Sept. 7 against the Cleveland Browns. The team’s first padded practice is scheduled for Monday.
“It’s good to get him now when we can, because we haven’t put pads on,” Taylor said. “He’s got seven practices before our first [preseason] game.”
The seventh-year head coach also echoed Stewart’s sentiments about moving past the acrimony between the two sides.
“That’s part of being a professional,” Taylor said. “Just put it behind you. He’s a part of our team, so we support him every step of the way now. You just put all that stuff behind you.”
Stewart said he had no regrets with how the process turned out. With the contract settled, he can now turn his attention to a pivotal rookie year.
When the Bengals drafted him in April, there were already several questions about Stewart’s lack of sack production at Texas A&M and whether that could be fixed at the pros. In three years with the Aggies, he had just 4.5 total sacks.
Stewart doesn’t believe that the contract dispute with the Bengals places any additional pressure on him to perform well and prove why the Bengals believed he was worth a premium draft pick.
“I just put trust in myself, believe in what I could do, believe in my coaches, believe in their coaching,” Stewart said. “I’m just coming every day ready to work.”
The Bengals are still without defensive end Trey Hendrickson, who has not reported to camp as he seeks a contract extension.
