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Cincinnati Bengals News & Rumors

Bengals Sign First-Round DE Shemar Stewart

July 26th, 2025 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

JULY 26: Stewart officially put pen to paper today, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Inking the deal on an off day for the team, Stewart will officially rejoin his teammates on the field tomorrow.

JULY 25: The Bengals have cut their contract issues with defensive ends from two to one. At long last, the AFC North team has its first-round pick under contract.

Shemar Stewart agreed to terms on his four-year rookie deal Friday, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. The sides had been engaged in a dispute about default language, and the impasse kept Stewart from working out during OTAs or minicamp. After the stalemate continued into training camp, it is now over. The Bengals bent on language to finally sign Stewart, as Pelissero adds an adjustment was made.

Cincinnati attempted to build new language into its rookie contracts that would void all guarantees in future years if a player does something to void guarantees in any year of the contract, as opposed to only voiding the guarantees in the year that something occurred. Stewart voiced displeasure in being the guinea pig here and refused to sign, becoming the last first-rounder to put pen to paper this year. After this deal’s completion, only Browns second-round running back Quinshon Judkins — due to a domestic violence arrest — is unsigned.

The above-referenced adjustment, however, does not constitute a win for the Stewart camp on the core issue. Rather, the Bengals agreed to adjust Stewart’s signing bonus payment schedule, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports. That evidently convinced Stewart being the guinea pig for the Bengals’ default language quest was acceptable. Second-rounder Demetrius Knight also objected to the Bengals’ void language, but he ended up accepting it in exchange for receiving 75% of his signing bonus upfront.

More specifically, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports $500K in Stewart’s bonus will be paid upfront rather than in December. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, the team also greenlit a $550K bump to bring Stewart into camp. That would be the more notable development, as it would stand to bring a true raise for the disgruntled player in exchange for his agreement on the much-discussed default matter.

Unsigned draftees generally participate in OTAs and minicamps by signing waivers, but Stewart expressed issues with the Bengals on that front as well. He has yet to practice since the team chose him 17th overall. The Texas A&M product and the Bengals had been at odds for months on this matter, and while Cincinnati’s concession is not yet known, the team will have its top draft choice in uniform moving forward.

This closes one of the strangest negotiating chapters in the rookie-scale contract era (2011-present). First-rounders had been in the fully guaranteed contract bracket for a few years now; at No. 17, Stewart was locked into a fully guaranteed $18.97MM contract when the Bengals drafted him. The team’s crusade over minor default language, which prompted VP of player personnel Duke Tobin to criticize Stewart’s agent this week, brought scrutiny — especially as the Bengals navigate their Trey Hendrickson impasse. As a result, the team has not had its two highest-profile D-ends at work throughout the offseason.

Stewart had been training at his alma mater ahead of training camp — no, an actual Aggies return (with an aim at a 2026 draft reentrance) was not a thing — but will be tasked with developing quickly in Al Golden‘s defense. The Bengals have Hendrickson engaged in a holdout, already stripping away their top defender. Having Stewart out of action for this long compounded the issue, but the team at least has two first-rounders — Stewart and 2023 draftee Myles Murphy — at work.

The team drafted Stewart weeks after Sam Hubbard‘s retirement. He arrived for a team coming off a woeful defensive season, a campaign that prompted the Bengals to fire six-year DC Lou Anarumo and hire Golden. Stewart also checks in as a potential Hendrickson successor, in the event the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up and the Bengals cannot agree on an extension, or insurance against Murphy failing to make strides after two unremarkable years.

The Bengals are going on projection with Stewart, who totaled 1.5 sacks in each of his three college seasons. In correctly tabbing Stewart as the Bengals’ pick in his PFR mock draft, Ely Allen indicated scouts were enamored with the project pass rusher’s build, balance and bend. Cincinnati will finally have a chance to see their prized investment’s skills firsthand.

CB Rumors: Flott, Giants, Sneed, Titans, Hill, Bengals, Barron, Broncos, Diggs, Packers

July 25th, 2025 at 3:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants used a first-round pick on Deonte Banks in 2023 but have not seen the Maryland product justify his draft slot yet. This led to the Paulson Adebo signing. While Adebo is entrenched as a first-stringer, Banks may not be merely set to slide from New York’s No. 1 cornerback to a sidekick role. Cor’Dale Flott‘s latest summer ascent continues, as The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the fourth-year defender received the first crack at the CB2 role during team drills. This appears a full-on competition. Flott had received minicamp work with the 1s, doing so after he impressed last summer en route to a slot-to-boundary shift.

Banks has started all 29 games he has played; being unable to hold off Flott would represent another setback for the former No. 24 overall pick. Flott would not have a path back to the starting slot role were he to lose this battle, as 2024 third-rounder Dru Phillips resides there now. This competition represents a big chance for the 2022 third-round pick, who is due for free agency in 2026.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

Trey Hendrickson Rejects Bengals’ Latest Offers Without Future Guarantees

July 25th, 2025 at 1:00pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

JULY 25: Hendrickson and the Bengals have indeed reached an agreement on the average annual value of an extension, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline reports. The issue remains the matter of guarantees, with Pauline adding Hendrickson’s asking price includes locked in money for the next three years. The question of when (or if) a compromise on this front will be made remains a central Bengals storyline as training camp continues.

JULY 23: Trey Hendrickson spent the last month in Cincinnati, working out to prepare for the season and hoping the Bengals would finally offer an acceptable contract extension.

Instead, he has retreated to Florida to commence a long-threatened holdout as the rest of the team begins training camp.

During a recent press conference, Bengals owner Mike Brown and de facto general manager Duke Tobin struck an optimistic tone about the state of negotiations with Hendrickson. Behind the scenes, however, the team still refused to meet Hendrickson’s core demands regarding length and guarantees. Neither of the Bengals’ two most recent offers included guaranteed money past the first year, per The Athletic’s Diana Russini.

Hendrickson received and rejected both offers in a 24-hour span before packing his bags and following through on his threat to hold out from training camp.

“I wanted to be there,” said Hendrickson (via Russini), “but there’s no way I would be able to sit there in the house and hear the practice whistles while also being a distraction. I don’t want to ruin the other 10 guys’ 2025 season on my contract language.”

Length and guarantees remain the main obstacle to a deal, suggesting that the two sides have been able to find a middle ground on APY. Hendrickson has emphasized that he is not demanding a market-resetting figure, something he reiterated in his interview with Russini.

“I was more than willing to take less in some ways in order to make a deal work,” explained Hendrickson, who expressed a desire to be a team captain and help mentor his younger teammates, including first-round pick and fellow holdout Shemar Stewart. But none of that can begin until and unless the Bengals meet Hendrickson’s demands, or at least enough of them to convince him to put pen to paper and get back on the field.

Despite the prolonged stalemate, Hendrickson is not expected to be traded, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer (via ESPN Chicago). Hendrickson told Russini that he wants to be in Cincinnati and knows the team feels the same way, something both sides have been consistent about throughout the offseason.

TE Noah Fant Visiting Bengals; Other Teams Interested

July 24th, 2025 at 11:56am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Less than a week after being released by the Seahawks, tight end Noah Fant is already receiving interest from multiple teams, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.

Fant is visiting Cincinnati today, per Schultz, giving the Bengals the first crack at signing the former first-rounder.

Originally selected with the No. 20 pick in 2019, Fant is considered somewhat of a disappointment relative to his draft billing. He has still been a solid receiving tight end across his six-year career, but his blocking has left much to be desired. He ranked eighth among tight ends with 1,905 receiving yards over his first three seasons before he was sent to the Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade in 2022. In his three years in Seattle, Fant fell to 21st among tight ends with just 1,400 receiving yards.

The Bengals, meanwhile, finally found a productive tight end last year in Mike Gesicki, who caught 65 passes for 665 yards. (Prior to that, no Bengals tight end had reached 55 receptions or 500 receiving yards in a season in the Joe Burrow era.) Gesicki was retained this offseason on a three-year, $25.5MM deal, solidifying him as the team’s starter, certainly for 2025 and likely for 2026 as well. 2019 second-rounder Drew Sample only has one season above 200 receiving yards, but he actually led the Bengals’ tight end room in 2024 with 655 starts (57.61% snap share) to Gesicki’s 523 (46% snap share). 2024 fourth-rounder Erick All is out for the year with a torn ACL, so the TE3 role currently belongs to Tanner Hudson, a reliable, inexpensive player who offers little upside.

Fant certainly offers more receiving prowess than Hudson, but it’s hard to imagine him eating into Gesicki’s role as a receiver, often in the slot, or Sample’s as an inline blocker. The Bengals will likely need to sell Fant on an appealing role (and/or contract) to get him to agree to terms before leaving Cincinnati. With other interested teams, however, Fant may look for a more clear-cut TE2 role elsewhere.

Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson Begins Training Camp Holdout

July 22nd, 2025 at 10:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

10:38pm: The latest round of negotiations between Hendrickson and the Bengals has proven to be “very contentious,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports. He adds Monday’s talks did not yield progress, and it remains to be seen at this point when communication between the parties will open again. A lengthy holdout could very well be in store. He has since landed on the Bengals’ reserve/did not report list.

9:49am: Trey Hendrickson has long loomed as a candidate to skip the start of training camp. With the Bengals preparing to begin padded practices, the reigning sack leader is indeed absent.

Hendrickson informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday that he has elected to hold out from training camp. As a result, he will begin accruing mandatory daily fines while extension talks continue. Owner Mike Brown struck an optimistic tone yesterday when speaking to the media about the Hendrickson situation. For at least the time being, however, this stalemate will continue.

A native of Orlando, Hendrickson posted on Instagram that he has returned to Florida in the absence of an agreement. The 30-year-old has maintained since the spring that he is prepared to not only hold out of training camp but into the regular season if no extension is worked out. Several weeks remain to see if that will end up taking place, but today’s expected update is another indication this situation is not in a good place. To date, the Bengals have yet to offer a deal in the $35MM-per-year range and the team’s preference is to add one year to Hendrickson’s current pact.

Of course, guarantees are a key sticking point in negotiations. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports Cincinnati is willing to authorize a multi-year pact which includes a “substantial raise” compared to the $16MM Hendrickson is currently owed for 2025 (video link). The issue, to no surprise, is the four-time Pro Bowler’s desire to secure guarantees for 2026 “and beyond” and thus match what a number of other edge rushers have received on that front this offseason with their new deals. T.J. Watt is the most recent pass rusher to reset the market, and his new Steelers pact includes $108MM fully guaranteed along with a record-breaking cashflow for non-quarterbacks.

It would come as a major surprise if Hendrickson were to match Watt in terms of base or locked in earnings on his next pact. Nevertheless, an increase in guarantees will likely be needed to get a deal done. During today’s episode of Good Morning Football, Manti Te’o said he has spoken with Hendrickson, who described the Bengals’ offers regarding guaranteed money as “atrociously, atrociously low” (h/t Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero).

The Bengals are certainly no stranger to contract drama leading up to the regular season. Tension with the likes of Joe Mixon, Jessie Bates, Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase over the past several years have created uncertainty about those players’ availability in time for Week 1. That will also be the case for Hendrickson unless a breakthrough can be made.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/25

July 22nd, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

With training camps kicking off around the NFL, teams continue to make adjustments to their rosters. Here are today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Waived: DT Dante Barnett
  • Placed on active/NFI: RB Zack Moss

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: K Mark McNamee

Houston Texans

  • Waived: CB Keydrain Calligan

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: OT Savion Washington

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived: OT Obinna Eze

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Bengals’ Mike Brown, Duke Tobin Address Contract Standoffs

July 21st, 2025 at 10:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

On the eve of training camp beginning, Bengals owner Mike Brown and de facto general manager Duke Tobin spoke to the media. To no surprise, the status of the ongoing contract standoffs with Trey Hendrickson and first-round rookie Shemar Stewart were a main topic of discussion.

Hendrickson has been among the numerous high-profile edge rushers seeking a new deal this offseason. Some – including T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby – have inked lucrative extensions while others are still in negotiations. Contract talks with Hendrickson’s camp have been on and off, and with camp looming an artificial deadline exists for an agreement to be reached.

“I’m not going to go into details of negotiation but I think we’re in a good spot and hopefully something is done soon,” Brown said when speaking about the Hendrickson situation (via Jay Morrison of Sports Illustrated). The reigning sack leader is not expected to have an agreement in place by the start of camp this week, and a holdout lasting into the regular season has been on the table for some time.

Unlike last offseason, the Bengals granted Hendrickson permission to seek a trade amidst contract talks. Offers came in but did not reach the team’s asking price. Cincinnati has not yet submitted a known offer averaging $35MM per year (a figure which would now rank fifth amongst pass rushers in the wake of Watt’s new Steelers accord). The team reportedly prefers a one-year extension which would keep the 30-year-old in place through 2026, whereas Hendrickson is seeking longer term on his third career contract. It will be interesting to see if Brown’s optimistic tone winds up being a sign that a deal is close.

On the Stewart front, meanwhile, little if anything has changed. The Texas A&M product did not report with the team’s other rookies to training camp, something which comes as no surprise given his absence from on-field work during the spring. The heart of the issue between Stewart and the Bengals remains contract language which would void all remaining guarantees on his deal in the event of an off-field issue. Historically, the team has not used such language and Stewart continues to hold out for a pact matching the ones signed by Cincinnati’s two most recent first-round picks.

“I’m not going to blame Shemar,” Tobin said (via The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr.) in relation to the stance taken by agent Zac Hiller. “He is listening to the advice he is paying for. I don’t understand or believe or agree with the advice but I’m not the one paying for it. If I felt we were treating him unfairly as it relates to all the other draft picks in this year’s draft then maybe it would be a different story. But we are not. I don’t really understand where things are there.”

Hiller responded by informing Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that Tobin has not been involved in contract talks with Stewart. As animosity between team and player continues, ESPN’s Ben Baby reports the percentage of second-round pick Demetrius Knight‘s signing bonus being paid up front – something which was no doubt a factor in an agreement being reached – has not yet been offered to Stewart. Neither side appears willing to budge at this point with padded practices set to commence.

In 2025, the Bengals will aim to return to the postseason with an offense widely seen as being among the league’s best. Their defense remains a question mark entering the campaign, though, and the unit will no doubt remain the subject of scrutiny until deals with Hendrickson and Stewart are complete.

Bengals Sign 3, Cut 2 Days Before Training Camp

July 20th, 2025 at 8:16pm CST by Ely Allen

We saw reports earlier today that, following a large workout including such players as C.J. Beathard, Tyler Huntley, and more, the Bengals signed quarterback Desmond Ridder. When the team announced the move later on in the day, they disclosed several other transactions, as well, including the release of a player Ridder was expected to compete with this summer.

While it was initially thought that Ridder would be battling incumbent quarterback Logan Woodside for the QB3 role behind Joe Burrow and Jake Browning, Woodside was one of the players released today in Cincinnati. A seventh-round pick for the Bengals back in 2018, Woodside failed to make the initial 53-man roster in his rookie year and opted to sign to the Titans’ practice squad. In five seasons with the Titans, two with the Falcons, and last year back with the Bengals, Woodside has only attempted seven passes in his NFL career. With Woodside out, if Ridder is competing for anything, it’s the QB2 role.

The other player removed from the roster was offensive guard Tashawn Manning, an undrafted player that originally signed with the Ravens out of Kentucky in 2023. He spent his rookie season on the practice squad in Baltimore, and after getting waived in final roster cuts again in 2024, he opted to sign to the Bengals’ p-squad. After failing to make it to a gameday roster for the second year in a row, Manning signed a reserve/futures deal with Cincinnati, but today he heads back to the waiver wire.

Of the three new players joining Ridder as signees today, the most notable is veteran defensive tackle Taven Bryan. The Bengals’ defense largely cost them in 2024, as they missed the playoffs despite huge performances from Burrow and the offense. With uncertainty continuing to surround the situation with No. 17 overall pick Shemar Stewart, the addition of Bryan and fellow defensive tackle McTelvin Agim could be a form of insurance.

Bryan, a first-round pick for the Jaguars back in 2018, has had an up-and-down career through seven years in the league. After limited time off the bench in his rookie season, Bryan looked the part in his sophomore campaign, starting eight games and logging career highs in total tackles (33), tackles for loss (5), and quarterback hits (9) that still stand today, along with two sacks. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him that year as the 23rd best interior defender out of 116 players graded at the position.

Since then, though, Bryan has never graded higher than 60th, per PFF. He started eight games again in 2020 before the Jaguars made him strictly rotational in the final year of his rookie contract. He signed a one-year contract with the Browns after that and started 16 games in Cleveland, posting a new career high with three sacks. He played the last two seasons in Indianapolis starting 13 of 34 game appearances for the Colts.

Agim is a former third-round pick for the Broncos that never really panned out. In his third year in Denver, he failed to make the 53-man roster and was released from the practice squad in December. Though he’s found practice squad spots throughout the AFC South in the years since, Agim has only appeared in one game over the past three seasons. Bryan’s signing has a chance to improve the team’s defense, and Agim adds some depth, but it’s hard not to read more into the signing of two defensive tackles amidst the Stewart controversy.

The last player added to the roster today was center Andrew Raym. An undrafted center out of Oklahoma last year, Raym made the Panthers’ initial 53-man roster as a rookie but was waived after appearing in only one game and signed to Carolina’s practice squad. He signed a reserve/futures deal with the team in January but was waived again in May. With undrafted rookie center Seth McLaughlin still working his way back from a late-season torn Achilles tendon in 2024, Raym will assist in camp as a third center behind Ted Karras and Matt Lee.

Bengals Sign QB Desmond Ridder

July 20th, 2025 at 12:11pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bengals have agreed to terms with free agent QB Desmond Ridder, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. Ridder was eligible for restricted free agency this offseason but was non-tendered by the Raiders. A planned Broncos workout did not take place, and a workout with the Colts did not produce a deal.

Ridder, who will turn 26 next month, entered the league as a third-round pick of the Falcons in 2022. He earned a starting job by the end of his rookie year, and he was named the starter in advance of the 2023 campaign. Despite a brief demotion in favor of Taylor Heinicke that year, Ridder started 13 games, winning six of them.

His performance was generally underwhelming — and was certainly not enough to prevent Atlanta from signing Kirk Cousins in free agency last offseason — and he was traded to the Cardinals shortly after Cousins came aboard. Ridder ultimately lost Arizona’s backup quarterback battle to Clayton Tune, and after he spent several months on the team’s taxi squad, he signed with the QB-needy Las Vegas outfit.

Ridder started just one game for the Raiders (in Week 15), and he completed 23 of 39 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown against two interceptions in a 15-9 loss. The new Vegas regime is moving forward with Aidan O’Connell as its backup to new acquisition Geno Smith, leaving Ridder to search for his next opportunity elsewhere.

As he battles for his NFL future, Ridder will at least be in familiar environs, as he excelled as a collegian with the University of Cincinnati (leading the Bearcats to the college football playoff semi-finals against Alabama in 2021). Bengals HC Zac Taylor worked as the Bearcats’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2016 and played a significant role in recruiting Ridder, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Nonetheless, Conway says Ridder will be competing for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart with Logan Woodside. That indicates Jake Browning’s job as Joe Burrow’s top backup is safe. 

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/25

July 19th, 2025 at 8:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

  • Placed on active/NFI list: T Timothy McKay

The Cardinals were one of the two teams Barrs visited yesterday. His free agent workout clearly went well, and he will look to carve out a roster spot during training camp. Barrs, a former UDFA, has yet to make a regular season appearance.

Every player on a PUP or NFI list can be activated at any time, but their designations mean they are not cleared to practice at the start of their respective training camps. Notably, the Patriots’ list of PUP players does not include Stefon Diggs. The free agent addition was a candidate to begin camp on the PUP list, but New England’s decision to keep him on the active roster is an encouraging sign regarding his ACL recovery.

The Jets are taking a cautious approach with Jermaine Johnson, as the former first-rounder confirmed on X. An Achilles tear limited him to two games last year, but the Pro Bowler said on Saturday he is ready for on-field work. Activation well in advance of Week 1 should be expected in his case.

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