Cincinnati Bengals fans endured another subpar campaign in 2025 as the team failed to live up to preseason expectations. The Bengals’ defense had plenty to do with last season’s failure, ranking as one of the worst units in the NFL (30th). 

But while the defense struggled with consistency, run defense, and pass-rush depth in 2025, one player emerged as a bright spot: third-year defensive end Myles Murphy.

As the Bengals begin preparations for the 2026 season, head coach Zac Taylor praised Murphy’s growth.

“I thought Myles Murphy took a huge jump at the end of the year, all around as a football player, just from football IQ, physicality, understanding what we’re asking him to do in the scheme, and being a playmaker for us.”

Murphy delivered a breakout season in his third NFL year, playing all 17 games and logging a career-high 682 snaps. He finished with 52 tackles (28 solo, 24 assisted), 5.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, three passes defensed, and one fumble recovery.

He ranked among a select group of edge defenders with 50-plus tackles and five-plus sacks, showing marked improvement in run-stopping, relentless pursuit, and late-season production, including three sacks in the final four games.

Murphy’s journey began at Clemson, where he developed into one of the ACC’s top edge rushers. Over three seasons from 2020 to 2022, he recorded 119 tackles, 37 tackles for loss, and 17.5 sacks in 38 games, earning first-team All-ACC honors as a junior.

The Bengals selected him 28th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, their first first-round defensive lineman since Justin Smith in 2001.

His first two NFL seasons were limited by opportunity and injury. As a rookie in 2023, he rotated behind veterans, posting 20 tackles and three sacks in 17 games. In 2024, a knee injury in training camp delayed his season. He returned in October but appeared in just 13 games, finishing with 20 tackles and no sacks.

Across those two seasons, he totaled roughly 40 tackles and three sacks, showing flashes of his pass-rush ability but limited overall impact.

Murphy is set for a larger role in 2026. Trey Hendrickson’s departure in free agency left the Bengals without their veteran sack leader. Cincinnati retooled the defensive front by signing edge rusher Boye Mafe from the Seahawks to a three-year deal and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to a two-year contract. They also added safety Bryan Cook from the Kansas City Chiefs on a three-year deal to improve tackling and playmaking.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, with a fifth-year option pending, Murphy is expected to step into a featured role alongside Mafe.

If his late-2025 form continues, he could become the centerpiece of a revamped Bengals front seven in 2026 and beyond.