Bengals Add Shemar Stewart: Edge with Light Production

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

What do you see when you look at Stewart? Cuz I see a big red flag flapping in the breeze.

Three seasons of only 1.5 sacks? Twelve total tackles for loss, with a single-season high of six? For a 6'5, 267-pound dude with a 120.3 speed score?

Where'd all that first-round talent go?

You should not only be wary of Stewart's chances of scoring fantasy points for your team this year and beyond. You should generally be wary of a guy with loads of physical ability who never turns that into college production.

The competition's about to get significantly tougher. Why should we expect Stewart to suddenly deliver numbers?

The Bengals could certainly use D-line help, so there will be immediate opportunity. But don't expect Stewart to make IDP impact in 2025.

Dynasty Impact

Longer term? I'm still not interested. For all the same reasons.

Other Winners & Losers

The Stewart pick looks like sneaky-good news for Joseph Ossai and Myles Murphy -- at least for 2025.

We'll see what coaches say about Stewart's initial role. But my doubts about him for both the short and long term present opportunity for Ossai, who the Bengals re-signed this offseason; and Murphy, who's coming off a quiet first two seasons but arrived as a first-round pick in 2023.

Ossai's the guy I'm most interested here.