Shemar Stewart's Bengals Exit Could Open a Door for the Lions

The Lions don't need a rescue mission on defense right now, but Brad Holmes has rarely stopped at "good enough." Jeremy Fowler of ESPN has put Detroit on his list of potential fits for Cincinnati defensive end Shemar Stewart, a second-year pass rusher who may now be available. Fowler's piece is speculation about what could happen, not a report of any agreed deal, and nothing has been announced by either team.

Where the Lions' defense stands

Detroit's defense has looked much sturdier in recent weeks. Brian Branch is back on the field, and Kerby Joseph's 21-day practice window has opened, which means the coaching staff is preparing for his return as well. That's a meaningful shift for a unit that had to patch things together for stretches of the season.

Even with those returns, the front seven still has room to grow. The offense is loaded, and that gives the Lions a rare kind of luxury: they can afford to look beyond the next few weeks. Holmes has made a habit of building for the seasons ahead, and a defensive end with two or three years of upside fits that pattern. It's not hard to see why the front office would keep its ear to the ground.

Why Stewart is on the market in the first place

Stewart was the No. 18 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which is a lot of draft capital to see sitting on the sideline. He was a healthy inactive for the Bengals' most recent game, and he has slipped behind Cashius Howell, a standout rookie, and Cedric Johnson, a former sixth-round pick who has earned his snaps. When a first-round pick can't crack a rotation, the message from the coaching staff is usually clear.

The relationship between player and team likely made things harder. Stewart held out and missed most of the offseason workouts following the draft over a contract dispute. He also didn't hold back in his public comments about the front office, and that tends to leave a mark. Teams don't always forgive that kind of friction, and players don't always forget it either. Production has been underwhelming since then, which gives Cincinnati a clear reason to explore other options.

The money and the math

Trading Stewart wouldn't be free for the Bengals. Moving him would cost the club nearly $9 million, which is a real number that any potential suitor would need to weigh. That figure is a big part of why this is more of a conversation than a done deal. A team in Cincinnati's position typically wants a return that justifies the dead money, and a move like this would depend on how badly both sides want to separate.

The Lions would be taking a calculated risk. A player with a contract dispute and limited snaps doesn't come with guarantees, and Detroit would need to believe its coaching staff could get more out of him than Cincinnati has. That's the part that makes this interesting. Scheme and environment matter a great deal for pass rushers, and a change of scenery has helped plenty of players find their footing.

What Detroit could get

The upside is the reason Fowler's suggestion has traction. Stewart has the frame and the athleticism that scouts liked coming out of the draft, and he's still young enough that development is a reasonable expectation. If he refines his pass-rush moves, he could become the kind of disruptive presence scouts believed he could be. Paired with Aidan Hutchinson, that's a long-term partnership worth imagining, even if Stewart wouldn't be a starter right away.

The flip side is equally clear. Stewart may not produce much immediately, and the questions about his commitment haven't gone anywhere. Detroit would have to be confident in its locker room and its development process to make that bet pay off. Some players do need a fresh start to reach their potential, and this could be exactly that kind of wake-up call. Or it could be a reminder that the first-round tag only goes so far.

For now, the Lions have nothing more than a name on a list and a reasonable argument for why it makes sense. Watch whether Cincinnati's snap counts shift further, and whether any reporting moves from speculation to actual trade talks. Those signals will tell us whether Stewart's time in Ohio is really winding down.