While Burrow’s arm canon and Ja’Marr Chase’s YAC artistry usually dominate headlines, Knight’s holdout has exposed a crack in the Jungle’s foundation. Per league sources, the Bengals’ rookie waiver only covers “disabling injuries,” a loophole tighter than a ‘Cover 2 shell.’ Other NFL teams?
Their waivers are Fort Knox-level secure. Knight, a former DoorDash driver-turned-South Carolina tackling machine, isn’t chasing a bag—he’s fighting for future rookies. Meanwhile, Stewart, a 6’5”, 267-pound freight train with Ferrari wheels (4.59-second 40-time), wants his contract’s training-camp bonuses to mirror last year’s 17th pick. “I hate being on the sideline just looking at everybody else do work,” Stewart admitted, his combine swagger momentarily muted.
“They’re just working through their contracts right now,” head coach Zac Taylor said, downplaying the stalemate like a QB sliding before the rush. But this isn’t just paperwork. It’s a rookie with a 4.58-second 40-time and a newborn daughter rewriting the playbook on player advocacy.
EXCLUSIVE: #Bengals 2nd-round LB Demetrius Knight II is not participating in drills because Cincinnati’s rookie waiver, unlike those of the other 31 #NFL teams, does not fully protect players, team sources tell @_MLFootball.
All NFL teams use waivers to protect unsigned… pic.twitter.com/I98cBTgJf6
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) May 11, 2025
That’s the real tackle he didn’t see coming. While teammates drilled at minicamp, Knight stood sidelines, absorbing mental reps like Jon Snow studying White Walker strategies. This is about making sure every rookie after him doesn’t have to choose between reps and risk.
Stewart’s standoff is equally charged. His college stats (4.5 sacks in 37 games) don’t scream “first round,” but his combine? Mythic. A 40-inch vertical, 10’11” broad jump—‘Spider-Man’ metrics that earned him a perfect 10.00 RAS score. The Bengals see him as Geno Atkins 2.0, but his camp sees a bonus structure stuck in 2024.
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