Source: Bengals' Shemar Stewart suffered hyperextended knee

The Cincinnati Bengals received a measure of cautious relief Friday when reports surfaced that defensive end Shemar Stewart, who was carted off the field during the opening day of training camp, suffered a hyperextended knee rather than a more structurally devastating injury. The early fear whenever a player leaves on a cart is ligament damage — an ACL or MCL tear that typically ends a season before it begins. A hyperextended knee is painful and demands careful management, but it does not automatically carry that kind of timeline.

That said, Stewart is no depth player whose absence would go unnoticed. The Bengals used a second-round pick on the former Texas A&M pass rusher in the 2024 draft, and Cincinnati's front office has been counting on him to develop into a legitimate weapon off the edge alongside Trey Hendrickson. Any extended absence during training camp stunts the kind of on-field reps and installation work that young defensive linemen need to make a year-two leap. The distinction between "he'll miss a few weeks" and "he'll be ready for Week 1" matters enormously when projecting how good this defense can actually be in 2025.

From a betting perspective, injuries to emerging pass rushers carry real weight on team defensive totals and win projections. Sportsbooks set season win totals and opponent scoring lines with an implicit assumption about a team's pass rush health. If Stewart misses meaningful preseason time or opens the year compromised, Cincinnati's ability to pressure quarterbacks consistently takes a hit — and that tends to show up most painfully against mobile or quick-release passers the Bengals will face in the AFC. A weakened pass rush also puts more pressure on a secondary, which can push opponent scoring totals upward and drag team win totals down by half a game or more at respected books. The Bengals' current win total, already priced with uncertainty around a roster transitioning under continued offensive expectations, becomes slightly less trustworthy on the over side until Stewart's status clarifies.

On futures markets, defensive performance is often underweighted by casual bettors but heavily factored by sharp money. If Cincinnati's defense looks porous early due to a diminished front four, live-game spreads in their first handful of games could be exploitable depending on how the public prices the Bengals as a brand-name team regardless of injury news.

The follow-on questions worth tracking here are the treatment timeline, whether Cincinnati brings in any veteran edge depth as insurance, and how Stewart looks physically once he returns to full practice. His participation in joint practices and preseason action will be the clearest signal bettors can find before real money needs to move.

Reporting via ESPN. Analysis by the 4th & Value desk.