All hell broke loose during the Cincinnati Bengals practice on Wednesday after quarterback Joe Burrow was hit by rookie first-round pick Shemar Stewart.
Stewart hit Burrow in the midsection while Burrow was delivering a pass to Ja’Marr Chase. Stewart’s hit caused Burrow to hit the ground. Luckily, Burrow wasn’t hurt on the play.
While the hit by Stewart is what started the melee, the fight was also an accumulation of the Bengals’ offensive line getting bullied by the defensive line throughout practice. Stewart’s hit of Burrow was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
“I think we got a little loose from an O-line perspective today,” Bengals center Ted Karras said afterwards. “Some things transpired that warranted a response, and Lucas delivered that. 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.”
Karras was asked about Stewart and if he likes the level of intensity that the team’s first-round pick brings to practice.
“Hell yeah,” Karras said. “Just be smarter. … Great player. But, come on, man. That’s all our hopes and dreams right there. And we got to be better, too. That’s on us.”
Karras is spot on. While Stewart hitting Burrow is inexcusable, the Bengals’ offensive line has got to protect their Pro Bowl quarterback if Cincinnati is going to have success this season.
