CINCINNATI -- Shemar Stewart ripped the NFL Band-Aid off this week with his first taste of preseason action in a 34-27 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.

The Bengals' top pick this past April notched one tackle for loss in the game amidst a shifting positional look that had him playing at multiple spots on the front.

He felt solid about his first NFL performance.

"Considering everything you know, today was good. Made a mistake here and there, but overall, it was a pretty good day. Pretty good day," Stewart told the media at his locker after the game.

Cincinnati gave up 132 rushing yards on four yards per carry in the game, a lackluster showing from the whole defensive front, but Stewart did force some pressure on Philly's quarterbacks and can grow from this outing.

Head coach Zac Taylor didn't have a definitive take on his outing before seeing the film.

"You've got to build yourself up sometime," Stewart said about assessing his close-to-sack moments. "We've got to take every little one you get. So hopefully, next time, next week, I probably could get there faster a little bit."

Stewart looked far from out of sorts as he sees the game slow down for him day by day in the whirlwind of an NFL rookie season.

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