First-round NFL Draft pick blows off training camp and returns to practice at alma mater

Cincinnati Bengals first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart was back at his alma mater on Monday as he continues to hold out of rookie training camp.

A 21-year-old defensive end from Texas A&M, Stewart has been holding out over language in his rookie contract and what he has described as 'unfair' treatment. Just last week, Texas A&M coach Mike Elko dismissed speculation Stewart could return to NCAA football amid the dispute, but that didn't stop him from posting a photo on Instagram from Monday's training session in College Station, Texas.

Meanwhile, back in Cincinnati, Bengals executive Duke Tobin insisted the team is being fair to Stewart, whom he said is getting bad advice.

'He needs to be here,' Tobin told reporters of Stewart a day before veterans are expected to report to camp. 'I would encourage him to be here... He's listening to the advice he's paying for [from agents]. I don't understand the advice… We're treating him fairly.'

Stewart, the 17th pick, skipped offseason workouts over the contract dispute stemming from various guarantees in the Bengals' offer. He's would get a signing bonus of $10.4 million if and when he does sign.

'In my case, I'm 100-percent right,' Stewart told reporters in June. 'I'm not asking for anything hasn't done before. But in [the team's] case, y'all just want to win an argument instead of winning more games, in my opinion.'

Cincinnati did sign defensive tackles McTelvin Agim and Taven Bryan this week, but Stewart's absence coupled with veteran defensive end Trey Hendrickson's bitter contract dispute and the retirement of edge rusher Sam Hubbard leaves the Bengals' front seven a bit thin entering camp.

Bengals owner Mike Brown addressed the dispute with Hendrickson and lived up to his reputation for refusing to trade holdouts.

'We are not going to trade Trey,' Brown said. 'We are working on getting it done.'

Brown added that Hendrickson 'pushes hard, he gets emotional.

'We never have an easy time of it. And if there's one thing that is consistent, it always gets done. I think this one will too.'

Hendrickson, an All-Pro defensive end, has been seeking an extension this offseason in Cincinnati, where receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins recently signed new deals totaling a combined $276million.

The 30-year-old signed an extension in 2023 that will keep him in tiger stripes through the 2025 season with a base salary of $15.8m, which counts for $18.6m against Cincinnati's cap number.

However, despite being one of the best defensive ends in the league, that figure makes him only the 26th highest-paid player in that position, with the four top earners all raking in over $100m per year.

And as Bengals beat writer Kelsey Conway reported in May, Hendrickson had no plans to line up for the team until his contract demands are met.

'Trey Hendrickson just finished talking,' Conway wrote on X. 'Plenty of takeaways but most importantly, Trey Hendrickson said he won't play the upcoming season on his current deal & wouldn't say one or the other if he would sit out games.'

The Bengals are also working to replace veteran linebacker Germaine Pratt, who was cut earlier this summer.

The 29-year-old Pratt led Cincinnati with 143 total tackles in 2024, including five tackles for a loss to go with a pair of interceptions and fumble recoveries.

The inconsistent Bengals missed the playoffs at 9-8 last season while surrendering 348.3 yards per game – more than all but seven NFL teams.

Cincinnati also surrendered a touchdown on 67.9 percent of opponent's red-zone possessions, the third-worst rate in the NFL.