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- Bengals rookie Shemar Stewart accidentally bumped quarterback Joe Burrow during practice, leading to a scuffle with guard Lucas Patrick.
- Teammates emphasized the importance of protecting Burrow, especially given his injury history.
- Stewart’s teammates praised his playing ability while stressing the need for controlled movements to avoid contact with the quarterback.
It took 14 practices for the first dust up to occur with the Cincinnati Bengals during training camp.
Shemar Stewart, the Bengals’ first-round pick, and guard Lucas Patrick got into it several times during practice on Aug. 13. This was a result of Stewart accidentally bumping franchise quarterback Joe Burrow on a play. Stewart was rushing Burrow from the left side of the defense and lost his balance. He was unable to control his body, and it resulted in Burrow hitting the ground.
Burrow quickly stood up while a scuffle between Stewart and Patrick ensued.
Nobody injured in Shemar Stewart-Lucas Patrick scuffle
“I think we got a little loose from an o-line perspective today and I think some things transpired today that warranted a response and I thought Lucas delivered that,” center Ted Karras said. “I thought we handled it well overall, it wasn’t like a shut down the practice type of scuffle and probably about time we had one of those.”
No injuries took place and that’s the most important takeaway from the practice. It’s not uncommon for scuffles to take place at this point during camp especially in the heat. The only reason this was noteworthy is because it involved Burrow getting touched.
There’s an unspoken rule in the NFL that starting quarterbacks aren’t supposed to get hit by their teammates in a practice. Given Burrow’s injury history and his importance to the franchise, No. 9 getting hit in a practice is absolutely not something anyone wants to see.
“Just be smarter … great player, (but) that’s all of our hopes and dreams right there,” Karras said of Stewart. “We’ve got to better to, that’s on us.”
Did Shemar Stewart comment on the situation?
Stewart politely declined to speak to the media when asked following practice, but Patrick answered a few questions about the incident.
“Gotta protect No. 9, starts with me up front,” Patrick said. “I gotta play better and protect better, but you can’t let No. 9 get hit.”
Patrick and Stewart will squash what happened and move forward. These types of things happen during training camp and don’t tend to linger.
It’s worth noting that both Karras and Patrick were very complementary of Stewart’s playing style. They just want to ensure it’s controlled and doesn’t result in Burrow ever getting hit.
“(He’s) great to practice against,” Patrick said. “There are very few people who on this planet that can cover ground like him at the line of scrimmage.”
The Bengals are off on Aug. 14 and will get back on the field Aug. 15 for two practices before traveling to Maryland for their second preseason game against the Washington Commanders. Cincinnati faces off against Washington on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” on Aug. 18.
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)