The Bengals are in separate contract disputes with a pair of edge rushers: veteran Trey Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart.
With neither player on the field — and in Hendrickson’s case, even in town — quarterback Joe Burrow called the simultaneous situations “obviously disappointing” in his Wednesday press conference after the first practice of camp.
“You’d like to have all your guys out there Day 1 to try to build that cohesion that I was talking about earlier, but that’s not how it usually works out,” Burrow said, via Ben Baby of ESPN.
“You know, it’s a business,” Burrow said, with Baby noting the quarterback paused and deeply sighed before continuing with, “And that is how it’s gone.”
This is not the first time the Bengals have had a contract dispute interrupt training camp. Just last year, Ja’Marr Chase was not practicing during the summer before eventually getting on the field when the regular season started.
“The earlier you get these things done, the better,” Burrow said.
But Burrow also understands this aspect of the business from his teammates’ perspective.
“Nobody’s ever gonna fault the player for doing business how he feels he needs to,” Burrow said. “It’s cutthroat business. You gotta fight for everything you can get. That’s how it goes.”
We’ll see how long Hendrickson, Stewart, and the Bengals keep their proverbial heels dug in.
