Joe Burrow, Bengals receive intriguing news about first-round pick Shemar Stewart amid Trey Hendrickson's contract situation

The Cincinnati Bengals are giving their fans absolute headaches. While they were quick to establish their offense, led by Joe Burrow, the defense has seen plenty of issues. First, Sam Hubbard retired, then Trey Hendrickson‘s contract negotiation is at a stalemate and their first-round pick, Shemar Stewart, hasn’t signed his rookie deal.

The situation with Stewart is so bad, that the player started training with his alma mater, Texas A&M. There were even rumors of Stewart playing with his college team once again. However, Texas A&M’s coach Mike Elko has cleared the air on that subject.

“There’s no intentions of Shemar to play for the Aggies this year,” Elko told Shae Cornette from ESPN. “But Shemar has been around. He’s very comfortable in our program. Really likes what we do training wise. He’s been training, getting ready for his season this year with the Bengals. We wish him the best.”

The Bengals need to solve their defense A.S.A.P

Sam Hubbard was one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, but with him gone, it’s Trey Hendrickson the one to command the defense. Still, Hendrickson hasn’t gotten his contract and he might not be seen until that’s settled. Shemar Stewart is still not with the team, even if he is not planning to go back to college. They have no difference-maker on the trenches.

Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals

As of now, and not considering Stewart or Hendrickson, the Bengals are in a dire situation. The best rusher they have right now is Joseph Ossai, who got only 5 sacks last year. The Bengals need both Stewart and Hendrickson. In the end, they had one of the worst defenses in the NFL last year, and if this isn’t resolved, it can be an even worse unit.

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Cincinnati is a two-faced team

When you hear someone is two-faced, it’s because they talk behind your back. That’s not the Bengals. But they clearly favor offense over defense, and looking at the roster, you can see the two faces of an NFL team contrasting at the highest of levels.

On one side, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, Joe Burrow. He is joined by two of the best wideouts in the league: Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Not only that, all three have happy contracts. Besides, they have a very good running back in Chase Brown too. It’s actually incredible to see how distant their approach is from one side of the ball to the other.