Bengals' Shemar Stewart Apologized to Joe Burrow for Bumping Him, 'It Was an Accident'

Cincinnati Bengals rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart detailed his apology to star quarterback Joe Burrow after bumping into him during an 11-on-11 drill in practice on Wednesday.

“I said ‘You know, Joe, it was an accident. You know I never meant to do that,’” Stewart said, via SI.com's Jay Morrison (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “He said, ‘It’s cool as long as you do it on Sundays, too.’ He kept it cool and short and sweet, and we just forgot about it.”

The contact between Stewart and Burrow later resulted in a scuffle between Cincinnati's starting offense and defense.

The altercation was set off by Bengals guard Lucas Patrick making contact with Stewart.

"Got to protect Nine," Patrick explained afterwards, via Geoff Hobson of the team's official website. "It has to start with me up front. I have to play better. Protect better. But I can't let Nine get hit. We have to protect our quarterback. Got to have his back no matter what."

It's understandable that the Bengals want to avoid Burrow taking any unnecessary hits, as the two-time Pro Bowl passer has already suffered two season-ending injuries in his career.

His rookie year came to an end after 10 games due to a torn ACL and MCL, while his 2023 campaign ended with a wrist injury suffered in Week 11 that required surgery.

Burrow's availability has translated to Cincinnati's success and will be crucial as the team attempts to end a two-year playoff drought. The Bengals own a 38-30-1 record with the quarterback under center since 2020 compared to a 6-8 mark without him.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati selected Stewart out of Texas A&M with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

He missed the start of training camp due to a contract dispute with the team before eventually signing his rookie deal on July 25.

Stewart will look to provide a boost to a Bengals pass rush that struggled outside of star Trey Hendrickson in 2024, as their 36 sacks ranked No. 25 among all NFL teams last season.