The Cincinnati Bengals have a really interesting problem on their hands with Myles Murphy in 2026.
Those Bengals turned down Murphy’s fifth-year option, the first real sign (a Joe Burrow contract restructure hasn’t happened, after all) that the big cap splashes of the offseason actually have them thinking about how to compensate.
Murphy’s hungry to prove them wrong and earn a big payday though, which would create some interesting cap hurdles in the future.
Technically speaking, that makes Murphy a breakout candidate. And he just cracked a list at fifth overall of contract-year breakout candidates to watch across the NFL in 2026, courtesy of Fox Sports’ Ben Arthur.
“Myles Murphy started to come on at the end of last season, recording three of his career-high 5.5 sacks in the final four weeks of the year,” Arthur wrote. “The additions of nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and edge rusher Boye Mafe should create favorable matchups for Murphy, a 2023 first-round pick, in 2026.”
The Bengals have made it very clear that, despite the very uncharacteristic decision not to pick up an affordable fifth-year option, they still believe in Murphy.
And why not? He flashed a bit down the stretch last year and now gets to rotate with a platoon that includes Shemar Stewart, Boye Mafe, Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Allen, BJ Hill and others.
If it all works out, the Bengals should be considering it a good problem if and when Murphy finally lives up to that first-round billing.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals quietly boast massive contract-year breakout candidate