The Bengals designated rookie defensive end Shemar Stewart to return from injured reserve on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Ben Baby.
Stewart was placed on injured reserve on November 15 with a knee injury. He is returning to practice as soon as he is eligible and could play on Sunday against the Ravens, according to head coach Zac Taylor.
Stewart, the No. 17 overall pick in April’s draft, has dealt with a number of bumps in his rookie year. First was a contract dispute that sidelined him for offseason workouts and the first week of training camp. He played in the first two games of the regular season before an ankle sprain sidelined him for four weeks. He returned in Week 7 but went down against in Week 9 and missed another month.
Those absences may have hindered Stewart out of the game. The Texas A&M product was considered a raw prospect coming out of college who would need significant development to unlock his physical potential. But the stop-and-start nature of his rookie season seem to have impacted his performance. Stewart has just six tackles and one quarterback hit in five games and 177 offensive snaps this year as part of the Bengals’ overall lackluster defensive effort.
On the other hand, the Bengals need every bit of help they can get to keep their season alive. They host the Ravens this weekend after handily winning their first matchup on Thanksgiving. In that game, Cincinnati turned in one of their best performances of the season, forcing five turnovers and holding Baltimore to just 14 points, all without their starting defensive end duo of Stewart and Trey Hendrickson. If at least one is back in the fold on Sunday, the Bengals defense could have another strong day and keep the team’s playoff hopes alive.
Stewart will have 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster or revert to season-ending injured reserve.