Cincinnati Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart skipped the final day of the team’s mandatory minicamp practice as he remains in a contract dispute with the club.

This was the first time Stewart wasn’t at practice. The No. 17 overall pick said he won’t practice until he signs his contract but has been present for each practice. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Enquirer that the reason for Stewart’s absence on the final day of minicamp was to not be a distraction to his teammates.

On Tuesday, Stewart created a news cycle for himself when he took a shot at the Bengals’ front office in response to questions about his contract dispute. Stewart and the Bengals are in the midst of a standoff due to a void clause the team wants to put in his contract.

“I’m not asking for nothing y’all (the team) has never done before,” Stewart said. “But in y’all (the team’s) case, y’all (the team) just want to win arguments (more) than winning more games.”

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor on Shemar Stewart

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor addressed the situation with Stewart stating he’s had positive conversations with his rookie, but the top priority for him must be to protect his team at all times.

“I think there’s education that happens with all the rookies that we do our best to educate them,” Taylor said of Stewart’s comments about the Bengals’ desire to win games. “Number one, we want to protect our team, our locker room. And so, there’s some things I understand when there’s frustration there, but that’s how he chose to do it, and that’s his prerogative, and we look forward to getting him back in the fold.”

Taylor said Stewart made him aware he was planning to not come to practice on June 12.

Bengals center Ted Karras on Shemar Stewart

Following practice, team captain and center for the Bengals Ted Karras spoke on the subject. Karras is a 10-year NFL veteran and a vice president of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) executive committee.

His perspective on the matter is unique because of the role he plays on the NFLPA and in the Bengals’ locker room. Stewart is asking for the same language that former Bengals’ first-round picks Amarius Mims and Myles Murphy received when it pertains to the guaranteed structure of their contracts. The Bengals are trying to set a new precedent with their rookie contracts and Stewart doesn’t believe it should start with him as he was drafted before Mims and Murphy.

Karras said the players in the Bengals’ locker room are not harboring any ill will towards Stewart or Pro Bowl defensive end Trey Hendrickson who skipped mandatory minicamp because of his contract status with the Bengals.

“I think obviously everyone can agree that not practicing all spring is an unfortunate outcome of business,” Karras said of Stewart specifically. “It’s a reality and I don’t think there’s any resentment from players. I hope it’s resolved before (training camp) starts.”

Karras is right, it’s not ideal for Stewart or the Bengals to have a player that they’re counting on to help improve the defense to not have received any on-field reps this spring.

Cincinnati Bengals slow starts

The Bengals have missed the playoffs the last two seasons and need to perform better on the defensive side of the ball. Stewart was drafted with the idea that he’ll help bolster the pass rush.

Where things will get concerning for the Bengals is if both Stewart and Hendrickson aren’t participating in training camp due to contract disputes with the team. Hendrickson is the Bengals’ best defensive player and Stewart needs all of the practice he can get as a rookie in the NFL.

Cincinnati is also trying to fix their slow start issue. The Bengals have not played well enough in the month of September and the team is hoping to fix it this year. For the Bengals to start the season differently this year, it would help if all of their best players are practicing when camp starts in late July.“The main thing I want to say to either of our defensive ends that there’s not any harboring resentment in this locker room to them,” Karras said. “I really hope that both camps can figure this out because we have a really good team, we had a super productive spring. You just don’t want this to carry over to summer.”