The 2026 NFL offseason is underway, and the Cincinnati Bengals are on the prowl to rebuild the defense. General manager Duke Tobin and defensive coordinator Al Golden have discussed how they plan to attack this offseason, and that’s with aggression.

Several upgrades need to be made across the board, and the Bengals have the draft, free agency, and trading block to use to their advantage. While there may not be an upgrade available in the league for him, it’s important that Cincinnati also figures out what the plan is for superstar edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is expected to depart in free agency, barring a franchise tag from general manager Duke Tobin. 

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) | © Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

This isn’t the first year the Bengals’ defense has been poor; missing the playoffs three years in a row surely doesn’t fall on an offense led by Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins. Because of this, Cincinnati has young defensive players who have been drafted in recent years and are still in need of development. 

One player in this category is defensive end Myles Murphy, who is coming off a career-year in his third season with the Bengals. As he heads into his fourth year in the NFL after being drafted No. 28 in the 2023 Draft, Tobin will have a decision whether he wants to exercise the fifth-year option on his rookie contract for 2027. 

After his first two seasons in the NFL, the former Clemson Tiger hadn’t seen many first-team reps with the 2024 NFL Sack Leader ahead of him. With 2025 first-round pick Shemar Stewart out for over half the season due to different injuries, Murphy finally got to showcase his skillset on a defense that needed all the help they could get. 

Murphy is a case of the best of both worlds for the Bengals. He totaled more passes defended, fumbles recovered, sacks, solo and assisted tackles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits in 2025 than he did in his first two years combined. This comes as a result of more snaps played last season than his first two years combined, as well; he was given more playing time to prove himself, and he delivered. 

With his boosted production, Murphy will also be receiving the lowest possible contract amount for 2023 first-round picks. This is due to his lack of making a Pro Bowl, while also not meeting the playing time criterion, largely because of his lack of snaps in his first two seasons. The fifth-year option for Murphy in 2027 would total $14.475 million, which should be a no-brainer to sign for Tobin before the May 2 deadline.