The Bengals have made a pair of roster moves on Monday.
Cincinnati announced the club has signed safety Shaquan Loyal.
An undrafted free agent out of Rutgers, Loyal started all 13 games at safety in his senior season and received honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition.
As a corresponding move, Cincinnati waived cornerback Micah Abraham.
A Colts sixth-round pick in 2024, Abraham spent the last 12 games of last season on the Bengals’ practice squad. He did not appear in a game.
Bengals defensive end Shemar Stewart took a stand.
Without his rookie contract in place, the 17th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft was unwilling to participate in the team’s rookie minicamp. Despite the criticism he has received from some, it was absolutely the right move. Given the ease with which rookie deals are now negotiated, no player should set foot on a practice field without the security that comes from the finalization of his rookie deal.
There’s no reason for the team to force any player to assume even the slightest amount of risk. For first-round picks, all four years are fully guaranteed. Once the player signs, the injury risk shifts to the team. Where it should be, if the player is going to be practicing with the team.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bengals tried to get Stewart signed. As we understand it, the talks bogged down regarding the percentage of compensation in future years to be paid as a training-camp roster bonus.
The training-camp roster bonus has become a device for putting a sizable chunk of the player’s pay in his pockets in future years, early in the season. In this case, the numbers offered by the Bengals reflected a lower percentage than the 17th overall pick received in 2024.
It’s a simple fix. Match or beat the percentage from 2024, and the deal gets done. And Stewart shows up.
With more and more players signing their rookie deals before participating in the rookie minicamp, every player should be willing to take a stand. The message is simple, clear, and as fair as it can be:
If you want me to act like an employee, make me one.
Draft picks typically participate in the rookie minicamp whether they have signed a contract or not. Unsigned picks can sign a Rookie Participation Agreement (RPA) that protects them in case of injury, and most do.
The Bengals have two players who are watching on-field work from the sideline after declining to sign the waiver.
First-round pick Shemar Stewart and second-round pick Demetrius Knight didn’t participate in the first day of the team’s three-day minicamp, Caleb Noe of WCPO reports.
Coach Zac Taylor explained that the two players are “just working through their contracts right now.”
Stewart and Knight are the only two Bengals’ draft picks who haven’t signed their four-year deals yet.
“I just decided not to sign those [waiver] papers,” Stewart said, via video from Noe. “I’m doing everything else. It’s just like on-the-field stuff I’m not doing.”
Stewart hopes to sign his contract by Monday to begin the offseason program, saying “it was kind of tough” not to participate on the first day.
“I would love to be a part of the team. I hate being on the sideline looking at everybody else do work,” Stewart said.
The Bengals signed four draft picks on Thursday and they added a bunch of undrafted rookies to the roster on Friday.
Quarterback Payton Thorne was one of 13 signings announced by the team. Thorne spent three years at Michigan State and two seasons at Auburn before moving into the NFL. He was 199-of-317 for 2,713 yards, 21 touchdowns, and nine interceptions last season.
The Bengals also signed Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin, Duke wide receiver Jordan Moore, Oklahoma State wide receiver Rashod Owens, West Virginia tight end Kole Taylor, Michigan long snapper William Wagner, Dickinson defensive tackle Dante Barnett, Arizona running back Quali Conley, Notre Dame defensive tackle Howard Cross III, BYU tackle Caleb Etienne, Arkansas defensive tackle Eric Gregory, Texas Tech cornerback Bralyn Lux, and Cincinnati wide receiver Jamoi Mayes.
Barnett is from England and will receive a roster exemption as part of the International Player Pathway Program.
The Bengals signed four of their six draft picks Thursday.
The team announced that offensive guard Dylan Fairchild, linebacker Barrett Carter, offensive tackle Jalen Rivers and halfback Tahj Brooks are under contract.
The Bengals made Fairchild a third-round pick (81st overall) out of Georgia. He played 34 games with 24 starts in four seasons, with each of his starts coming the past two years.
He earned both second-team All-America and second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors in 2024 when he started all 14 games.
Carter was selected in the fourth round (119th overall) out of Clemson. In 52 games, with 40 starts, over four seasons, he recorded 233 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 24 passes defensed, three interceptions and two forced fumbles.
He was voted a team captain for the 2024 season and garnered first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and third-team All-America recognition.
Rivers was taken in the fifth round (153rd overall) out of the University of Miami. He appeared in 39 career games with 30 starts, primarily lining up at left tackle.
He was named second-team All-ACC in 2023, then received honorable mention in ’24. Rivers started eight games at left tackle last season and blocked for an offense that led the nation both in yards per game (537.2) and points per game (43.9).
Brooks was a sixth-round pick (193rd overall) out of Texas Tech. He played 56 games, with 34 starts, in five seasons and rushed 879 times for 4,557 yards and 45 touchdowns.
He set Texas Tech career records for rushing attempts, yards and 100-yard games (23), while ranking third in school history in rushing touchdowns and total TDs (47). He was first-team All-Big 12 in 2023 and earned second-team honors in ’24.
