Shemar Stewart committed a cardinal sin at the Cincinnati Bengals' Wednesday practice, bumping into $275 million quarterback Joe Burrow.
The incidental hit, which knocked Burrow to the turf, kicked off a scuffle that Stewart and right guard Lucas Patrick were at the center of. Stewart will be painted as reckless, but the blame falls more on head coach Zac Taylor and Cincinnati's decision-makers for having their oft-injured franchise passer in such a situation.
The Bengals have essentially put all their eggs in Burrow's basket, making sure to shell out deals that keep his two favorite targets — Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins — in tiger stripes for the foreseeable future. By — literally — banking on that side of the football, one would think Cincinnati would prefer to keep Burrow out of harm's way.
Joe Burrow's injury record is a bigger concern than Shemar Stewart's brain fart
Injuries have dotted his NFL career, almost from the outset. The Bengals' star passer shredded his left knee as a rookie, tearing his ACL, MCL, PCL and meniscus. Torn right wrist ligaments ended his season prematurely in 2023. Burrow told NFL.com's Eric Edholm after the latter injury that the possible long-term effects of the ailments have creeped into his mind.
"Whenever the injuries start to stack up, your football mortality kind of comes into the back of your mind," Burrow said. "So that's definitely something I've thought about and something I have had to fight through."
Burrow's clipboard-holders aren't the most inspiring bunch, either. Jake Browning filled in when Burrow went down with the messed-up wrist in 2023, going 4-3. Behind him, Desmond Ridder is back in the city where he played collegiately and led the University of Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff. However, Ridder has become a pro journeyman since the Atlanta Falcons selected him in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Payton Thorne had an up-and-down effort for Hugh Freeze's Auburn Tigers last season, going 4-6 as a starter. He was signed as an undrafted free agent and it's safe to say there's a talent disparity between him and Burrow.
Stewart did own up to his miscue, telling the Cincinnati Enquirer's Kelsey Conway, "Gotta protect No. 9, starts with me up front. I gotta play better, but you can't let No. 9 get hit."
It doesn't start with Stewart, though.
Word of advice to Taylor: Maybe don't put your whole franchise's hopes in jeopardy to get Burrow a few more reps in mid-August. Give the other three guys theirs and keep Burrow safe until Week 1.