The Cincinnati Bengals saw some roster movement last season, with the losses of Jessie Bates, Vonn Bell, Hayden Hurst, and others, resulting in some fresh faces receiving critical playing time throughout the season. With an off-season filled with unparalleled opportunities, Cincinnati will need key contributors to make significant strides in 2024 and take on new and more prominent roles.
There is unfinished business in the Queen City, and you can tell by the standard this squad has established for itself over the last two seasons. Finishing 9-8, 1-5 in the division and last in the AFC North will not cut it.
it. Players will need to emerge, and team performance will need to improve. Here are five Bengals who could help with that in 2024.
Myles Murphy
After being selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft from Clemson, Myles Murphy had great expectations during the NFL season. However, towards the close of the season, Murphy began to resemble the talent the Bengals had seen at the NCAA level.
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In Week 18, against the Cleveland Browns, Myles Murphy received the second highest pass-rush grade of any defensive rookie this year. Murphy played 305 snaps throughout the course of the 17-game season and began the season slowly in terms of production, which drew criticism. However, in recent years, Duke Tobin and the rest of the front office have frequently chosen players who are built in a specific way and can contribute to the culture that Zac Taylor has created and continues to create. Murphy is still very young, and his potential as a player is unknown.
The Bengals urgently need another pass rusher who can regularly produce. As talented as DJ Reader, Sam Hubbard, and B.J. Hill are, they don’t rush the passer as effectively as Trey Hendrickson. If Murphy can develop into that solidified component, the Bengals’ defense will become even more dynamic and difficult to understand under Lou Anarumo’s scheme.
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