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Most Cincinnati Bengals fans wouldn’t expect edge defender Myles Murphy to feature heavily in national analysis right now.
Alas, Murphy just spotlighted in a 100 bold predictions piece.
Murphy, a polarizing former first-round pick who had his fifth-year option declined, enters 2026 playing for a second contract.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated projected a big year for Murphy, slotting his earning a second contract in Cincinnati as his 75th overall bold prediction.
Orr wrote: “Cincinnati recently declined the fifth-year option on its 2023 first-round pick, but Murphy, who played some of his best football down the stretch in 2025 and logged the majority of his quarterback hits and sacks over the final eight weeks of the season, will finally find a home in a deeper, rotational Bengals defense.”
It’s not that irrational. In fact, it’s what the Bengals are hoping for right now. They declined the fifth year to retain cap flexibility after a big offseason of spending, but still want to work something out with Murphy, too.
The Bengals hope the offseason work helps with this, too. They added Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen to the interior of the line, then Boye Mafe on the edge.
Right now, the Bengals still believe Murphy can hit on an upswing. If he does enjoy a breakout, the Bengals figure to be just fine paying up, too.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' Myles Murphy lands a bold prediction that might just work out
Continue reading...
Alas, Murphy just spotlighted in a 100 bold predictions piece.
Murphy, a polarizing former first-round pick who had his fifth-year option declined, enters 2026 playing for a second contract.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated projected a big year for Murphy, slotting his earning a second contract in Cincinnati as his 75th overall bold prediction.
Orr wrote: “Cincinnati recently declined the fifth-year option on its 2023 first-round pick, but Murphy, who played some of his best football down the stretch in 2025 and logged the majority of his quarterback hits and sacks over the final eight weeks of the season, will finally find a home in a deeper, rotational Bengals defense.”
It’s not that irrational. In fact, it’s what the Bengals are hoping for right now. They declined the fifth year to retain cap flexibility after a big offseason of spending, but still want to work something out with Murphy, too.
The Bengals hope the offseason work helps with this, too. They added Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen to the interior of the line, then Boye Mafe on the edge.
Right now, the Bengals still believe Murphy can hit on an upswing. If he does enjoy a breakout, the Bengals figure to be just fine paying up, too.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' Myles Murphy lands a bold prediction that might just work out
Continue reading...
