Now would be a good time for Myles Murphy to have that long-awaited breakout for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Those Bengals need some serious help from depth names on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday if they want to keep the season alive and make Joe Burrow’s return actually happen.
Murphy, the team’s first-round pick in 2023, could be one part of the equation now that the Bengals have confirmed both Trey Hendrickson and first-round rookie Shemar Stewart will miss the game.
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Had Murphy matched his own first-round hype, perhaps this wouldn’t even be a conversation. But he logged just 28 percent of the snaps as a rookie, 40 percent over 13 games last year and has played just 51 percent this year despite guys like Hendrickson and Stewart missing time.
That’s not to say Murphy hasn’t been effective at creating pressure, but it’s not translating often: Over 39 games, he’s recorded 4.5 sacks.
With the way things have gone, it would be hard to blame fans for wondering if they might not be better off hoping for a breakout from Cedric Johnson or Cam Sample rather than Murphy.
But for Murphy? The stage is at least set for him to finally have a breakout game at a time his team needs him most.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Now would be a good time for Bengals to get a Myles Murphy breakout
Reporting by Chris Roling, Bengals Wire / Bengals Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
