Bengals rookie preview: Shemar Stewart could have strong debut

Sunday will mark the official NFL debut for Cincinnati Bengals first-round edge-rusher Shemar Stewart as Cincinnati heads to Cleveland to take on the Browns in an early AFC North showdown. Sunday could also be an early breakout party for the former Texas A&M star.

The Bengals have Trey Hendrickson back in the mix, which is going to take pressure off of Stewart, who had himself a very nice camp and preseason once his own contract dispute was taken care of. The two will go up against offensive tackles Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin for Cleveland.

Conklin is a solid tackle, ranking 50th among eligible offensive linemen in offensive blocking grade with a 66.2. Jones, on the other hand, hasn’t been as effective, ranking 122nd with a 46.4 grade. Jones is the man up front who has the most to prove and that’s the spot where the Bengals can take advantage.

The Bengals can line up with Hendrickson across from Conklin, allowing him to go up against Cleveland’s better tackle and get right in the face of Browns quarterback Joe Flacco. That would allow Stewart to go up against Jones, a much easier matchup for the rookie. Either way, expect Stewart to see plenty of one-on-one matchups as the Browns have to account for Hendrickson as well as defensive tackles B.J. Hill and T.J Slaton, with Kris Jenkins also in the mix.

Stewart flashed during the preseason as he looks to prove he is more than what the stats showed at Texas A&M and there is real talent. What better way to start making a name for himself than with Week 1 in a divisional battle?

While it’s well known Stewart only registered 4.5 sacks in three seasons with the Aggies, he was still effective in doing what the scheme told him to do, which was line up often in a 4i-technique (inside shade of the offensive tackle). That meant he wasn’t always given the edge to work with and was usually responsible for the B-gap instead of the C-gap.

Through the preseason, Stewart has lined up in multiple positions across the defensive line. He’s mostly been at edge, both with his hand in the dirt and standing up. He’s also lined up at 4i and at 3-tech. Early on, defensive coordinator Al Golden seems to want to experiment with Stewart and is looking to make him as versatile as possible.

Expect plenty of edge work for him Sunday against the Browns but also don’t be surprised if he sees more time inside as well, just to get him on the field in some way.

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals rookie preview: Shemar Stewart could have strong debut

Bengals rookie preview: Shemar Stewart could have strong debut

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