The Cincinnati Bengals recently declined the fifth-year option for defensive end Myles Murphy.
We expected the Bengals not to exercise the option, as they find themselves up against the salary cap. The decision came from financial necessity for them. But it was not only for salary cap reasons, but also for production, or lack thereof, in Murphy's first three years as a professional.
Nevertheless, despite the inauspicious beginning to his Bengals tenure, the starting points of his career line up well with another former Cincinnati pass-rushing great, Trey Hendrickson.
Now, can Murphy have a breakout Hendrickson-like Year-4?
How closely Myles Murphy and Trey Hendrickson compare during their formative years
At FAU, Trey Hendrickson recorded 29.5 sacks, 41.5 tackles for loss, 127 tackles, and eight forced fumbles in four years. That was some amazing production for a player loaded for his proverbial motor.
While Hendrickson accomplished that against lesser competition, week in and week out, he still held his own against elite teams like Miami and Florida, as well as delivering a standout performance in the 2016 East-West Shrine Game.
At Clemson, Miles Murphy had 17.5 sacks, 37 tackles for loss, 119 tackles, and six forced fumbles in three years.
While Murphy did not have the sack totals Hendrickson did, all of the other production stats were similar. We would even give the edge to Murphy, given his totals almost match Hendrickson's in three years versus four, against consistently tougher competition.
Henderson had the better athletic profile of the two, scoring an elite grade in agility and a great score in explosion. On the other hand, Murphy scored well in his agility drills. While he did not perform the broad jump, his vertical jump was bad compared with Hendrickson’s great explosiveness scores and good vertical jump.
While Hendrickson performed better in college and in athletic scoring, it was not by as much as one would think, given the trajectory of their careers thus far.
Early NFL production tells familiar story
No matter what you think of their careers today, Murphy and Hendrickson had similar beginnings.
The New Orleans Saints selected Hendrickson in the third round, 103rd overall, in the 2017 NFL draft. In his first three years, he registered 6.5 sacks, 40 tackles, six tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles, and played only 30 games.
However, in his contract year, Hendrickson exploded for 13.5 sacks, 25 tackles, and 12 tackles for loss. In Murphy's case, the former Tigers defensive end managed 8.5 sacks, 92 tackles, and six tackles for a loss in his first three years as a pro.
Their totals compare extremely well with Hendrickson's through their first three seasons, until you factor in that Murphy played 17 games more, a full NFL season's worth of games.
With Hendrickson playing four years of college to Murphy’s three, though, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Murphy could take a Hendrickson-type leap in his fourth year.
Everything lining up perfectly for Myles Murphy’s fourth season
Like the search for life on distant planets, or an orbiting moon, all the ingredients are there for Murphy to put everything together to have an intergalactic season for the Bengals and himself.
But just as rare as we earthlings, finding signs of life elsewhere are premier edge rushers who totaled nine sacks or less, becoming significant pass-rushing threats after their third seasons.
Hendrickson is a rare case. Others, like Bryce Huff and Odafe Oweh, had their blips before eventually falling back to earth.
Josh Sweat and Cam Heyward had similar trajectories, but not as bright as Hendrickson's, with Heyward becoming more of a force at defensive tackle later in his career.
Chase Young is aging like fine wine after recording double-digit sacks for the first time in his six-year career in 2025. Not even he has been as menacing as a pass rusher as Trey Hendrickson has been after Year 3.
Front office doesn’t seem to believe in Murphy’s star potential, and yet...
Let's forget about what we believe is in store for Murphy for one second. It would appear that the Bengals' front office doesn't believe in Murphy's star potential, which is more important than whether we do.
While there are financial reasons for Cincinnati not exercising Murphy's fifth-year option, the truth of the matter is that the Bengals would have saved space for that eventuality if they thought, or expected, the fourth-year player to have a Hendrickson-esque breakout.
Instead, they drafted Shemar Stewart and Cashius Howell in consecutive first rounds of the NFL draft, and signed Boye Mafe to a significant free agent contract this offseason.
These are not the actions of a team waiting for, or even anticipating, Murphy to enter the discussion as one of the NFL's best edge rushers.
But that could be the hydrogen that fuels a star-making season for Myles Murphy.
Can Myles Murphy take a Trey Hendrickson Year 4 leap?
Myles Murphy has a few things going for him as we try to anticipate him having a breakout year.
First, his college production in the first three years matches up nicely with what former Bengal, now Baltimore Raven, edge rusher Trey Hendrickson did. So there was precedent for such an increase in production, albeit rare.
Furthermore, Murphy is entering a contract year, adding further motivation after being one of just 10 2023 first-round picks whose team did not exercise the fifth-year option on.
Recent history suggests that a fourth-year Hendrickson statistical anomaly is not in Murphy's future. Nonetheless, with the infusion of talent and the extra motivation brought on by being in a contract year and a fifth-year option snb, the unlikely stars have aligned perfectly for his 2026 season.
Now, Murphy must take advantage of the situation he finds himself in.
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