Is Shemar holding out?

[*ochocincos*]

(Today, 09:32 AM)Soonerpeace Wrote: My take is that the clause is approved by collective bargaining and has been used. The Bengals haven’t used it and like the clause. Shemar’s team don’t want to be the guinea pig. They feel they have the leverage.

The Bengals don't really NEED Stewart to play significant reps right away, so they may be ok with not rushing to sign up and giving into his side's demands.
If Hendrickson holds out, they have Ossai and Murphy to cover starting duties, and they have Sample and Johnson to back them up.
Once Hendrickson returns to the field, that just makes the situation even better for the Bengals this season.

I know some people want to think Stewart should and needs to be a key cog in the defense this year, but the reality is...
1) Ossai returned likely expecting 50% or more of the defensive reps opposite Hendrickson (He consistently played 50% or more starting 12/1/24 and notched 4.0 sacks and 3 TFLs across those 6 games)
EDIT - A TFL every other game would be 8+. When comparing to Hubbard, Hubbard normally would get 7-12 TFLs a season. If Ossai can keep up his 2024 Dec trend, he could potentially get 8+ sacks and 8+ TFLs this season, being right about on par with prime Hubbard, which is fine for a DE2.
2) Murphy was more proven than Stewart coming out of college and is going into his 3rd year in the league, likely needing to be used a good amount this season to see if he's someone worth actually putting the 5th year option on. (That decision has to be made next offseason)
3) Speaking more on Murphy, how are people more positive with a player even more raw in Stewart when they have seen how Murphy has performed (or hasn't) in his first two years in the league?

My expectation is Stewart probably plays around 300-400 snaps (barring a big injury or two to force him into more), notching probably 2-4 sacks and a few TFLs.
He will get the 4th most defensive snaps among DEs, behind Hendrickson, Ossai, and Murphy.