Latest news with #MylesMurphy
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bengals DE Myles Murphy misses training camp practice; Shemar Stewart works with starters
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Myles Murphy suffered an apparent injury during training camp Tuesday at Paycor Stadium, and didn't practice with the team Wednesday. Rookie Shemar Stewart worked with starters in Murphy's absence. Murphy played in 30 games over his first two seasons, recording three sacks. His playing time increased in the absence of Sam Hubbard, who injured his knee against the Tennessee Titans while catching his first NFL receiving touchdown. Murphy missed the first four games of the 2024 season with a sprained knee during a preseason joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts. He started the season on injured reserve. Murphy was the Bengals' first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He played in 17 games during his rookie season. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Bengals DE Myles Murphy hurt; Shemar Stewart practices with starters
New York Times
05-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
‘Now or nothing' for Bengals' Myles Murphy, which will it be? Depends on who you ask
CINCINNATI — Defensive coordinator Al Golden stood in front of a collection of microphones at the conclusion of mandatory minicamp in mid-June, and his tone reminded of a year-end banquet. Nearly every player on the two-deep received a kind word or shout-out. Starters, backups, rookies, players returning from injury, you name it. Completing his first offseason since replacing Lou Anarumo, Golden spewed a fountain of hope and positivity. Advertisement About 13 minutes in, it seemed odd that Myles Murphy hadn't been mentioned. After all, leading the 2023 first-round pick to the next level after two uneven seasons should be starred and underlined atop the new coordinator's priority list. He's a 6-foot-5, 270-pound athletic specimen who, at 23, should be hitting an impactful level in his third year. A level capable of helping offset the attention bestowed upon sack king Trey Hendrickson, along with the hundreds of millions spent on the offensive side of the organization's balance sheet. Instead, the mention of his name shifted the banquet tone like a record scratch. 'Yeah, I think it's time, right?' Golden said. 'It's time.' Golden laid out details of the development plan, his view of the imposing physical skills and possibilities of a player the personnel department saw taking the baton from Hendrickson as a face of the young, defensive core. 'I'm really excited about him, but it is time,' Golden said. 'He knows that it's time to go. And we're really counting on him. We really are. We really are.' Should they be? Because there's a bigger question beyond playing time, technique and athletic profile the Bengals need answered about Murphy: Does he have that dog in him? You know the meme, the dog inside the ribs on a chest x-ray. A new-age symbol for the inner drive and competitive wiring necessary to battle in the NFL. Given what's transpired to this point and Golden's urging, it is fair to wonder if Murphy has it. And also, why the Bengals might have a secret weapon to combat the concern. 'It's my job to get whatever dog that he has in him out,' new defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said. 'That's my job. I have to find ways to get him there consistently. So that's what we do. But he's got it. He's got what he needs to play at this level, it's just my job to get it out of him.' Advertisement There's no running from the number. The oval pops off the season box score like a scarlet letter. Zero sacks. The analytics community will opine that sacks are overrated while pressure rates, win percentages and disruption offer more telling evaluations of edge rusher impact. Generally, they'd be right. But for a player whose worth in the NFL is defined by affecting the quarterback, sacks will always matter most. Not only do they kill drives at a higher rate than any non-turnover in football, they lead the way in awards voting and serve as Exhibit A in contract negotiations. Last year, one that was supposed to be a breakout second season for the 28th selection in the 2023 draft, Murphy managed zero sacks. Sure, he suffered a sprained MCL in an August joint practice against the Colts, which sidelined him for the first month of the season. And yes, he was buried behind Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard on the depth chart, two veterans with implicit trust from Anarumo. That's not what Murphy sees looking back on what went wrong. He says he could have handled the injury better, largely by paying more attention to his diet. He hired a nutritionist this offseason and dramatically altered his approach. Murphy admits that when he was on the field, the tape showed a player lacking belief. 'I looked hesitant,' Murphy said. 'Not too confident knowing the move is going to work. Even when I did have clean wins, it was hesitant.' Murphy hasn't had much opportunity to shed hesitancy. Anarumo and former defensive line coach Marion Hobby did limit his opportunities. Murphy has played in 30 of 34 possible games since being drafted, but logged just 633 defensive snaps. Fifty players were selected in the first two rounds of the 2023 draft and played at least 27 career games. Murphy ranks 48th in total snaps. The Bengals drafted him to rush the passer, and, specifically compared to similar players, he's not been given a full opportunity to do that. From 2021 to 2023, 29 edges were selected between picks 11 and 64. Murphy ranks 24th in pass rush snaps over their first two seasons. Meanwhile, he ranks in the middle of the pack in that group in pressure rate (9.6 percent). He's enjoyed flashes, specifically in the second half of his rookie year. Again, Murphy balked at the chance of utilizing an available excuse. 'You have to be ready for your opportunity,' he said. 'You are going to get your opportunity, whether you get 50 plays a game or you get 10 snaps. You got to bloom where you are planted.' Advertisement Make no mistake, though, in his highest-leverage opportunities, Murphy wilted. Consider these numbers in the situations most conducive to making an impact. Here's where Murphy ranks against the first- and second-round edges in his draft class when on the field for third/fourth-and-long (5-plus). That's 64 moments Murphy was drafted to win, and a bottom line there's no hiding from or rationalizing. Murphy relied on the freakish traits that made him a first-round pick his entire life and now fully understands that will never be good enough here. It may have taken longer than anyone would have liked, but Murphy sounds like a player learning a hard lesson through self-reflection. 'High school and college, I've been able to out-athlete people,' Murphy said. 'Now I've noticed you have to be technical in your game 24/7. I wasn't taking that as serious as I should.' Bengals' de facto GM Duke Tobin made a big bet on Murphy this offseason. Free agency came and went without adding an edge rusher, despite a desperation for somebody — anybody — not named Hendrickson to chase down the quarterback. They selected Shemar Stewart in the first round and Joseph Ossai returned. Tobin pointed out the lack of playing time when first asked to assess Murphy's season on the team website in February, stating he sees the traits: 'He'll get in the groove the more he plays.' Time ticks fast in today's NFL. The days when even top picks get years of opportunity are long gone. Tobin plotted his offseason strategy around the expectation that Murphy will be given more playing time this year and come of age. If he doesn't, a new strategy will come next year. 'That's a big reason why I changed a lot of things that I do now,' Murphy said. 'I am going into the season like it is now or nothing. Why not? Try everything. Don't leave anything to questions.' Advertisement Tobin saw a player physically capable of living up to his draft status, but needed to learn how to win at the top of his rush. In his mind, the rest was there; Murphy merely needs to figure out how to finish. That skill needed to be coached and given a real runway to succeed. Can that knack be developed? Or is it a fatal flaw? He turned this critical project over to Golden and Montgomery. Golden saw a need to simplify the process for Murphy so his natural ability could do the work. He saw a player in his own head. 'We tried to quiet his mind down,' Golden said. 'Myles is a great talent, and for us to get his talent in the game, we just got to get him to play quiet, play fast and play with great effort. That's really the process that we're in right now and there's nobody better in the business than Jerry to do that.' Montgomery has proof to back up Golden's bold claim. He was the defensive line coach for the Packers from 2018 to 2023 and spent last year with the Patriots. At both stops, he took a developmental top pick and helped them ascend to the next level. In Green Bay, the Packers drafted Rashan Gary 12th in 2019. The scouting report on NFL Network spotlighted a player whose production failed to match the traits at Michigan. Yet, in Year 3, the traits won. Taking the defensive line job under head coach Jerod Mayo last year in New England, Montgomery pulled off a similar trick with edge Keion White. The 49th pick in the 2023 draft struggled in limited playing time as a rookie, but his first year with Montgomery saw a spike. Bengals coach Zac Taylor had Montgomery on his radar because he noticed the energy of the Green Bay defensive line over the years and again last year in New England. When watching Montgomery militaristically grind through drills, lessons and speak directly about the task at hand, it's easy to see how he helped developmental players find their next level. Advertisement 'I am very demanding,' Montgomery said. 'I hold the guys to a standard. If it is not right, they hear about it. That's the reality I live every single day. That is my job to be honest with them and hold them accountable.' Murphy and the coach he calls 'J-Mo' have a one-on-one talk every single day. No flaw goes unaccounted for, no shortcut accepted. 'He doesn't let anything slide,' Murphy said. 'If he does let something slide on the field, when we get to the film room — 'your toe is not turned toward the quarterback.' It's the little stuff like that that's effective. I just like his coaching dynamic as a whole.' Then there's the concept of effort and drive, yes, Montgomery dragging out the dog in Murphy. Golden called it playing 'with great effort,' or to put it bluntly, no more taking plays off, no more quitting on rushes, no more skating by on talent. 'One play you see a great flash and the other play it's like maybe going through the motions,' Montgomery said. 'Every day I say, if you can put a whole game together of this and not half a game of that, now we are totally taking the next step. That is my goal for you. I am going to be on you. I am not going to let anything slide. We are going to run to the ball. We are going to be physical at the point of attack. We are going to be an active rusher, affecting the quarterback. We are not going to shut it down and stop. It's a process. And it's early.' As Golden pointed out, it may be early, but it's also time. The progress has gradually shown through 10 practices. Golden pointed out how 'rugged' Murphy was playing when lined up in the 'C' gap outside the tackle. He's flipped across sides of the formation for a defense emphasizing positional versatility. Murphy says he feels the quiet taking over his game. He points out that he would watch a 30-minute highlight tape of Hendrickson's best plays and see two or three moves helping him dominate. The adjustment involves perfecting what he does best, not recreating his style. Advertisement 'When it is third-and-long, I'm not thinking, 'Which one of these eight moves am I going to do?'' Murphy said. 'How does this tackle set? OK, he sets deep. Then one of two moves. Boom. Quiet my mind now. I am just looking at the ball, getting off the ball. That's it.' Every June in Las Vegas, a collection of the NFL's best pass rushers, led by Cam Jordan, Maxx Crosby and Von Miller, hold the Sack Summit. It's in the vein of Tight End U, which gained popularity in recent years. The theme is teaching intricacies of the position to a gathering of young edge rushers and collegiate players. The messaging from the big three leading the weekend was the combination of technique and mentality for any developing player. 'It's just about consistency and showing up every day with the mindset to outdo everybody around you,' Crosby said. 'That's how you create a winning culture in a competitive environment. It's not selfish to go above and beyond to be the best version of yourself. And when you have a whole group of guys doing that, it's just a competition every day of who's going to put in the most work? Who's going to push themselves to that limit? That's what I try to do.' Crosby might be the definition of a player where mentality outweighs any physical shortcomings. The former fourth-rounder out of Eastern Michigan rarely comes off the field. He's a four-time Pro Bowler who never missed a game until this season, grinding out 59.5 sacks and $35.5 million per year. Can Murphy find those elements within himself? Can any player develop a new mindset or is that merely the way you are? Ossai did. He points out that he battled confidence issues during his career, collecting 4.5 sacks in his first 40 games. Last year, he collected five in his final seven games and mentality changed. Advertisement 'If you have struggles early on, it can be (hard),' Ossai said. 'It's a constant grind of getting over that hump. Once you see one fall in, you gain that confidence a lot. It can happen. I can get to that quarterback. You got to keep going. Persistence.' Murphy flashes a soft smile and kind demeanor. He enjoys working for his foundation, helping underprivileged kids in Cincinnati and his hometown of Atlanta. He shows genuine respect for those around him. He comes across as a good guy. Nice win by Myles Murphy here. He's had a few nice reps against rookie Jalen Rivers. — James Rapien (@JamesRapien) August 2, 2025 Sometimes, you need to be a little unhinged to be a great edge rusher. You need to tap into your version of the 'Blackout Trey' nickname bestowed upon Hendrickson to take the next step. Murphy needs to flip the switch. 'Say f— it,' Murphy said. 'Get to the quarterback.' He needs the technique. He needs the push from a demanding coach. He needs the opportunity. More than anything, however, he needs confidence to know he can do it. He needs confidence to wipe away the stain of zero sacks. Montgomery works every day to help him build it. He's trying to pull the dog out and find the mentality necessary to reach what the Bengals defense desperately needs. 'A coach can only bring so much of that,' Murphy said. 'It's up to the player.' Murphy feels hope in this fresh start. He smiles with excitement while talking about the energy he feels when walking into the building every day. He says he's in a great space mentally and physically. All that only goes so far. It's up to him. The test of his career begins in 34 days. The Bengals are counting on Murphy to go off. Or else, they'll move on. It's time, right? The Athletic's Tashan Reed contributed.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bengals' former late-round draft pick could have big role in 2025
There's a lot to like about the pass-rushing group going into 2025 for the Cincinnati Bengals. Provided, of course, one ignores the messy contract drama for Trey Hendrickson and first-round rookie Shemar Stewart. Advertisement But even including those two, the Bengals have first-round product Myles Murphy and are excited about the return of Cam Sample and Joseph Ossai also likely getting more looks. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic tacked on another name to keep in mind, too: 'Another name of note, further under the radar, is 2024 sixth-round pick Cedric Johnson. He found himself in regular rotations and has received praise from different corners of the building throughout the offseason program. He's the only edge who fits the speed rusher profile at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds, and could find a subpackage role because of it.' RELATED: Bengals, Shemar Stewart nuclear option includes 2026 NFL draft route Advertisement Cedric Johnson was a pretty popular pick in the minds of fans when the Bengals made it in the 2024 draft. Like others before him, he was one of those guys who appeared to have huge upside, once the logjam of names like Sam Hubbard cleared up a bit. Now, it has. Like the rest of the defense, there's some seriously impressive upside, but nothing much has been proven yet. The youth movement is an overall high-upside gamble to complement what should be an elite offense again. Johnson locking down a subpackage role in an effective manner and getting notable snaps would mean the defense is forcing opposing offenses into pass-rushing situations in the first place, which would imply the unit is improved from last year, too. RELATED: Bengals standouts after mandatory minicamp includes surprises This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals' former late-round draft pick could have big role in 2025
Reuters
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Bengals' first-round pick Shemar Stewart exits minicamp
June 12 - Bengals unsigned first-round draft pick Shemar Stewart has left mandatory minicamp in Cincinnati, multiple media outlets reported Thursday. Per the Cincinnati Enquirer, Stewart left camp so as not to be a distraction to the other players. Stewart, 21, had been attending voluntary workouts and team meetings but steered clear of participating in on-field activities. The Bengals selected the Texas A&M defensive end with the 17th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Stewart is not planning to sign with the Bengals until they adjust the language in their contract offer to match the outline of the contracts signed by the team's previous two first-round selections (Myles Murphy and Amarius Mims). "I've been doing this for most of my whole life, and then all of a sudden it's gone over something very simple to fix," Stewart told reporters on Tuesday. "It's kind of disappointing." Bengals coach Zac Taylor talked to the media about Stewart after practice Thursday. "For all the rookies, you'd like them to be on the field but certainly there's things that happen over the course of an NFL career and this is one of them right now," Taylor said of Stewart missing out on preparation time. "So he's been in the meetings. He's been positive in that way. He's been learning. He's been a good learner, and we look forward to getting him back on the field quickly." Taylor said he didn't know how the contract process would progress and wouldn't guess whether Stewart would be with the team when camp opens next month. "I'm not going to make any predictions," he said. --Field Level Media
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Which city boasts the best HS football talent? Here's the final four
A longstanding debate in the recruiting world has been which metro area produces the best football players. So now in conjunction with millions of other brackets, ours has reached the final four metro areas: Miami, Dallas, New Orleans and Atlanta. Advertisement Our national recruiting analysts picked the top 16 metro areas for high school football talent and seeded them 1-16, with No. 1 Tampa being their collective pick as the best. Our analyst group focused solely on the talent churned out so far in the 2020s. And we will let the fans take it from there. So far, there has been two rounds of voting to whittle the 16 cities down to a final four. Vote now in the semifinals and help decide the metro area that produces the best football talent. PREVIOUS RESULTS FIRST-ROUND RESULTS No. 1 Tampa/St. Pete defeated No. 16 Philadelphia No. 2 Atlanta defeated No. 15 Charlotte Advertisement No. 3 Dallas/Fort Worth defeated No. 14 Chicago No. 4 Los Angeles defeated No. 13 Las Vegas No. 5 Miami/South Florida defeated No. 12 St. Louis No. 7 Detroit defeated No. 10 DMV No. 8 New Orleans/South Louisiana defeated No. 9 Houston No. 11 Birmingham/Montgomery defeated No. 6. South Georgia QUARTERFINAL RESULTS No. 8 New Orleans/South Louisiana defeated No. 1 Tampa/St. Pete No. 2 Atlanta defeated No. 7 Detroit No. 3 Dallas/Fort Worth defeated No. 11 Birmingham/Montgomery No. 5 Miami/South Florida defeated No. 4 Los Angeles No. 2. Atlanta vs. No. 3 Dallas/Fort Worth The Case For Atlanta: The Greater Metro Atlanta Area has No. 1 written all over it. The Peach State is rich with talent year in and year out, and in the past half-decade has churned out some of the top recruits and top players in college football each Saturday. It's draft season -- so the conversation starts with former Rivals No. 1 overall player Travis Hunter. Advertisement The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is expected to come off the board early -- just like former five-star DE Myles Murphy (Cincinnati Bengals) and five-star OT Broderick Jones (Pittsburgh Steelers) did not too long ago. Brian Branch is another Atlanta area standout making noise on Sundays in Detroit. Like Hunter, former top-100 SAF Malaki Starks is a projected first-rounder. Former five-star LB Barrett Carter is expected to hear their name called later this spring in Green Bay. Former five-star Caleb Downs is arguably the top safety in college football coming off a title run with the Buckeyes. His brother Josh is an emerging receiver with the Colts. Other five-stars from the ATL we anticipate continuing to make noise in college football this upcoming season include DL Edrick Houston (Ohio State), SAF KJ Bolden (Georgia), WR Mike Matthews (Tennessee), and QB Julian Lewis (Colorado). Other notable recruits from the area include RB Justice Haynes (Michigan) and LT Overton (Alabama). – Sam Spiegelman The Case For DFW: Everything is bigger in Texas -- especially the football talent. The Dallas Metroplex, in particular, has yielded a heavy volume of blue-chippers over the years -- several of which are making waves on Saturdays and on Sundays already. Former five-star WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba is one of the best young receivers that the Seattle Seahawks are building their passing game around. Advertisement After a historic senior season, Marvin Mims finished inside the Rivals250 -- and provides juice for the Denver Broncos' offense. Former four-star CB Christian Gonzalez is one of the best young corners in New England out of The Colony (Texas). As they set the pace in the league, there's a wave about to follow. Quinn Ewers (Texas) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) are both projected early draft picks. Some of college football's best are also from DFW. Former five-star EDGE Colin Simmons was named the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year with Texas. His teammate -- former five-star Anthony Hill Jr. -- is one of the most imposing linebackers in the nation. Former five-star Peyton Bowen is one of the top safeties in the country heading Brent Venables' defense in Norman. Evan Stewart, another former five-star, has been dynamic at Texas A&M and also Oregon. Heisman Trophy hopeful Garrett Nussmeier is also from the area. – Sam Spiegelman No. 5 Miami/South Florida vs. No. 8 New Orleans/South Louisiana The Case For South Florida: When it comes to the perception, the numbers and certainly the names, South Florida continues to hold onto its reputation as one of America's truly fertile football hotbeds. Narrowing the production window to the first half of this decade proves more of the same, whether leaning on the names stationed on Saturday's like Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith or those about to enter at the highest level like fellow former five-star and one-time prep teammate of Smith in first round projection Shemar Stewart. Advertisement Dipping into the Rivals rankings, five-stars flood in from the region, including an even one dozen since the class of 2020 wrapped up. The blue-chip depth thereafter remains just as staggering, with 79 additional recruits ranked within the Rivals250 hailing from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties combined. The volume is just as impressive relative to the NFL Draft, too, as more than 50 South Floridians have been drafted since the decade began, including nine in Round 1. Some of the names near the top of the list have made sense all the way through the process like Smith's certainly will. Dallas Turner was a five-star who worked his way into the first round and he put together a great rookie campaign in the league thereafter. Fellow five-stars from that 2021 cycle included James Williams, Terrence Lewis and Corey Collier, however. Of the trio only Williams, drafted in the seventh round in 2024, heard his name called on the big stage. So for every Patrick Surtain II, fresh off of a Defensive Player of the Year campaign with the Denver Broncos, there are also some big-name busts relative to ranking dotting the line in SoFlo. – John Garcia Jr. Advertisement The Case For South Louisiana: No state churns out more NFL talent per capita than Louisiana -- and South Louisiana produces a massive amount of talent that is taking over the league and also college football. Both former first-round picks Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers exploded onto the scene in Year 1 as rookies. Thomas, out of Walker, La., was a Rivals250 WR who since surfaced as one of the NFL's best young perimeter receivers in Jacksonville. Nabers, who was sidelined as a senior due to state transfer rules, set multiple records while at LSU before breaking the mark for receptions by a rookie last season with the New York Giants. Former No. 2 overall player Maason Smith in 2021 was a second-round pick of the Jags and is quickly becoming one of the NFL's most formidable young DL. There is expected to be another wave of South Louisiana talent to come off the board during the NFL Draft. Among them -- former Rivals250 OL Emery Jones (LSU) and former four-star WR Jack Bech (TCU). Some of college football's best are from The Boot. That includes former No. 1 overall recruit Arch Manning, who will orchestrate the Texas offense full-time this season. His teammate -- Derek Williams -- is one of the best young SAF expected to step into a bigger role this fall in Austin. Former Rivals five-star WR Aaron Anderson came on strong in his second season at LSU and should be a part of a high-octane offense in Baton Rouge this fall. So should Chris Hilton, a top-100 recruit in 2021. Former five-star DL Dominick McKinley closed his freshman season out with a bang -- and is part of what should be a formidable front in the Bayou this upcoming season. Advertisement Former five-star Harlem Berry is expected to be an impact freshman this season with the Tigers. Former five-star DE Jahkeem Stewart is also a candidate to be an immediate contributor at USC. – Sam Spiegelman OUR PICKS Below you will find how each of our national recruiting analysts filled out their bracket.
