Shemar Stewart's Knee Injury Diagnosis Revealed After 'Scary' Scene at Bengals Training camp

Cincinnati Bengals pass-rusher Shemar Stewart avoided a serious injury after he was carted off the field in training camp on Wednesday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Stewart suffered a hyperextended knee and is believed to have no ligament damage as he prepares for treatment.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor also provided an encouraging update regarding Stewart.

"Shemar Stewart yesterday fortunately avoided a major injury," Taylor told reporters Thursday. "So he hyperextended his knee, it'll be several weeks, hard to pinpoint exactly how much of training camp that'll be. Very fortunate because it obviously looked bad and he's put in a lot of work, so hard to see him go down like that. But the good news is we'll be getting him back sooner rather than later."

Stewart suffered the injury while participating in Cincinnati's first 11-on-11 session of training camp and was spotted with crutches as well as a protective brace on his left leg after practice (h/t ESPN's Ben Baby).

The 22-year-old is entering his second season with the Bengals after they selected him with the No. 17 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Stewart's rookie year was marred by health issues, as he was limited to just eight games due to an ankle injury and a PCL tear.

He finished with 11 tackles, four quarterback hits, two tackles for loss and one sack in his inaugural season.

Stewart is expected to operate in a rotational role on a revamped Bengals defensive front, as they signed edge-rusher Boye Mafe to a three-year deal worth $60 million while Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai departed in free agency.

Cincinnati also acquired star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence in an April 18 trade with the New York Giants.

With the Bengals looking to end a three-year playoff drought in 2026, Stewart's season-long health outlook is promising despite facing multiple weeks of recovery.