The Cincinnati Bengals have had a bit of a dubious track record on first round picks of the late. Few apparent misses were more painful than in 2023.
Coming within three points of their second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl, Cincinnati entered the subsequent draft with fans hoping for at least one immediately impactful contributor. Alas, Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy was the pick at 28th overall in Round 1, and he was a total nothing burger as a rookie. And Year 2 for that matter.
For whatever reason, the Bengals were content for a long time to draft dubious succession plan players with their first round selections. That radically changed this offseason when they traded the 10th overall pick for Dexter Lawrence. Thank goodness.
Murphy commendably looked at himself in the mirror before last season, took accountability for a lackluster work ethic, and persevered through some early struggles to really show some promising flashes down the stretch of the 2025 campaign. It looks like his stick-to-itiveness is finally about to pay massive dividends.
Make-or-break year doesn't seem to faze ascending Bengals DE Myles Murphy
Although the front office didn't exactly give him a massive vote of confidence by declining his fifth-year option, Murphy had to recognize that the decision wasn't personal. Cincinnati was changing the way it did things from a team-building standpoint, and was actually taking an initiative to spend near the hilt relative to the salary cap.
Taking on Lawrence's contract after the trade with the New York Giants was a factor. The Bengals also made aggressive reinforcements in free agency by acquiring defensive end Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and safety Bryan Cook.
All these players will only help Murphy's case for a big second contract. Well, perhaps not something close to a top of market deal, but assuming Murphy can stave off the likes of Shemar Stewart and rookie Cashius Howell for a starting job, He's in line for the best year of his career to date.
Murphy struggled to find a rhythm whilst buried on the depth chart during his earlier days in Cincinnati. When he finally got some extended action last year, and got his sea legs under him, he all of a sudden looked like somebody worthy of being drafted in the first round.
I'm personally a little skeptical about Murphy building on what happened down the stretch of 2025. The season was all but over, the competition level wasn't great toward the very end, and Murphy was playing like his football life depended on it. Because it did.
Now the spotlight is going to be scorching. If he's not up to the task, the Bengals can't get too cute and just ride it out. Stewart and Howell are too talented to not try to platoon in there in the event that Murphy somehow regresses.
On the other hand, devil's advocating myself, Murphy could have thrown in the towel long ago when things weren't going his way. He didn't. Head coach Zac Taylor has expressed full confidence in him, too:
Zac Taylor on Myles Murphy:
— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) March 31, 2026
“I thought Myles Murphy took a huge jump at the end of the year, all around as a football player, just from a football IQ, from a physicality standpoint, from an understanding what we're asking him do in the scheme, from being a playmaker for us.” pic.twitter.com/BVRYPp428g
Now, Murphy is poised to be a foundational piece on a defense that should, complemented by Joe Burrow in an elite offense, be playing deep into the postseason — if not returning to the Super Bowl.
Myles Murphy has real grit. Words I never thought I'd type.
I mean shoot, every NFL player has some form of grit. It's a relative characterization to the greats of the sport!
Good for Myles to at least set himself up for an improbable personal turn around. This 2026 season could be a cathartic Murphy redemption tour, perhaps culminating in a contract extension and secure status as an in-house talent who persevered, overcame adversity, and earned his keep in the Queen City the hard way.
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