Which Bengals rookie has the best chance to win Rookie of the Year?

Defensive Rookie of the Year

The player with the best chance of winning the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Bengals is defensive end, Myles Murphy. 

Pass rushers are often favored when predicting the award’s recipient. The top-three favorites to win are defensive linemen Will Anderson Jr., Jalen Carter, and Tyree Wilson. Bengals fans should hope Murphy enters the conversation to win it by the end of the season.

Including Micah Parsons, six of the last 10 winners of the award have been pass rushers. Three pass rushers took home the award three years in a row before cornerback Sauce Gardner crashed the party in 2022.

Hopefully, for Cincinnati, Murphy can be why edge rushers retake the crown from defensive backs after Nick Bosa, Chase Young, and Micah Parson did it in three consecutive seasons. 

Murphy will be counted on from the first snap of the season. The 28th overall pick will be part of a rotation of edge rushers and is expected to help a defense that finished 29th in sacks in the 2022 season. 

Because of his position and the number of opportunities he is expected to get, Murphy is the most likely Bengals rookie to win AP Defensive Player of the Year honors. If Murphy produces the way he did in the 2021 season at Clemson, he would have a legit chance of being in consideration for the award at the end of the season. That year, Murphy recorded eight sacks,14.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. 

Currently, Murphy has the 15th-best overall odds of taking home the title of Defensive Rookie of the Year, per Oddsmakers. Hopefully, he will be in the hunt at the end as he chases down opposing quarterbacks along the way. 

Among all Cincinnati's rookies, Murphy is the most likely to garnish Rookie of the Year honors. If he does come away with the award, he would be the Bengals' defensive player to do so. 

Let’s hope the rookies have an excellent individual that helps the team reach its ultimate goal. And wouldn’t it be lovely for one of them to take home AP Rookie of the Year honors as well‽