Good news — Shemar Stewart avoided a worst-case scenario. Here's the timeline:
He's expected to miss several weeks, but it's not season-ending. The injury happened on July 29 during Bengals training camp Day 1. Initial fears were serious (a former NFL doctor worried about structural damage), but follow-up evaluations by the Bengals medical staff and reports from Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport confirmed no ligament damage. (from the Shemar Stewart page)
The recovery timeline suggests he'll be back for meaningful 2026 regular-season contributions, though he'll miss most of training camp. Given the "several weeks" timeframe, a return around late August or early September — possibly ready for Week 1, or close to it — seems realistic.