The Cincinnati Bengals changed nearly everything around Shemar Stewart and Demetrius Knight Jr. this offseason.
So after PFF placed Stewart and Knight among 10 NFL players under pressure to perform in Year 2, the burden attached to each’s future 2026 performance has only grown.
Cincinnati rebuilt its defensive front, added veteran help in the secondary and lost its top edge rusher.
The Bengals acquired Dexter Lawrence, signed Jonathan Allen and added Boye Mafe after Trey Hendrickson left for Baltimore.
Those moves should make life easier for two second-year defenders. They also leave fewer places to hide if either struggles again.
Cincinnati’s defense finished 29th in EPA per play last season, and the organization is counting on both recent draft picks to become part of the solution.
Stewart Has More Help and Bigger Expectations
Stewart’s rookie season never had much of a chance to develop a rhythm.
Knee and ankle injuries limited the No. 17 overall pick to 280 snaps, but the available work was still concerning.
Stewart’s 41.2 overall PFF grade ranked last among 120 edge defenders who played at least 250 snaps.
His 29.3 run-defense grade helped drive that number, while he landed in the 12th percentile in pass-rush grade and the 16th percentile in pass-rush win rate.
Stewart entered the NFL with the size and athleticism to become a disruptive defender, but Cincinnati needs more than flashes now.
Mafe’s arrival should help.
The former Seattle edge rusher produced 44 pressures and 40 hurries in 2025, totals that would have led the Bengals. He gives Cincinnati a proven option after Hendrickson’s departure and should prevent Stewart from carrying the entire burden on the edge.
Still, Mafe does not make Stewart a luxury.
A first-round edge rusher has to survive against the run, create pressure and stay on the field in important situations.
Cincinnati can rotate Stewart and develop him at a reasonable pace, but another season near the bottom of the position would raise larger questions about his future.
Knight Jr. Faces an Even Clearer Test
Knight played far more than Stewart as a rookie, which gave Cincinnati a longer look at the second-round pick.
The results remained poor.
PFF gave Knight a 40.2 overall grade, ranking him 56th among 59 qualified linebackers. He finished below 45.5 in both run defense and coverage and missed 15% of his tackle attempts.
The Bengals responded by improving nearly every level around him.
Lawrence and Allen can occupy blockers inside, while the secondary received veteran help.
Linebacker, however, remained largely untouched, putting Knight directly in view.
A stronger defensive line should allow him to play faster and reach the ball without fighting through as much traffic. Better support behind him could also reduce some of the stress in coverage.
Those upgrades create a fairer environment for Knight, while making his individual performance easier to judge.
If Stewart develops into a capable edge opposite Mafe and Knight settles into an average starting linebacker, the Bengals’ defensive makeover has a chance to work quickly.
If both remain among the lowest-graded players at their positions, all the veteran additions may only expose the same problem from a different angle.
The Bengals used the offseason to buy experience.
Regardless, their path back to the playoffs may still depend on two young defenders proving their rookie seasons were poor beginnings rather than lasting warnings.
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