When the Cincinnati Bengals declined Myles Murphy‘s fifth-year option in April, they turned 2026 into a contract year for a former No. 28 overall pick who is just now rounding into form. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reported Monday, in the outlet’s league-wide look at players with the most on the line this season, that the cost of acquiring and extending Dexter Lawrence II was a key factor in that decision. The option wasn’t a verdict on Murphy so much as a consequence of where the money went.
The timing is awkward for both sides, because Murphy finally produced last season. He set a career high with 5.5 sacks in 2025 and finished the year strong, a meaningful jump from the three sacks and four tackles for loss he managed across 20 games in his first two seasons. Per Dehner, another step forward as a full-time starter could put a second contract averaging $20 million or more per year within reach — whether from Cincinnati or someone else next spring. Murphy said in May that de facto general manager Duke Tobin had expressed interest in keeping him beyond 2026, per Pro Football Rumors, so the relationship is not the obstacle. Production is.
The opportunity is certainly there. Cincinnati’s edge room was rebuilt almost entirely this offseason: Trey Hendrickson, who anchored the pass rush from 2021 to 2025, left for Baltimore in March, and Joseph Ossai departed in free agency. The replacements are Boye Mafe, signed on the open market, second-round rookie Cashius Howell, and second-year man Shemar Stewart. That makes Murphy the most established returning edge rusher on the roster, with every-down snaps available for whoever earns them. A front office that spent big on Lawrence and Jonathan Allen inside needs someone outside to finish what the interior push starts.
Veterans report July 28. How the edge rotation shakes out in camp will say a lot about whether Murphy’s walk year ends with a raise or a market test.
For fantasy purposes, Murphy is an IDP name to file away rather than draft aggressively: the departed Hendrickson snaps have to go somewhere, and a contract-year edge rusher coming off a career high with a clear path to a starting role is the classic profile for a cheap sack-total spike. If camp reports have him running as a clear starter, move him up your IDP board accordingly.
