When the Bengals brought in Boye Mafe this offseason, the easy read was that Cincinnati wanted another body to heat up the quarterback. Myles Murphy says the value goes deeper than that.
For Murphy, the biggest early takeaway from Mafe has been the way he thinks the game. The edge rusher’s experience and football IQ have stood out in camp, giving Cincinnati more than just another pass-rush piece.
“That’s one of the big reasons why we got him here,” Murphy said recently. “Of course he can rush; he’s a big, twitchy player, but his IQ is very high as well.”
Mafe comes to Cincinnati after four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, where he also helped them win a Super Bowl championship last year. A former second-round pick, he has 20 career sacks and gives the Bengals a seasoned presence as they continue reshaping their defensive front.
That matters for Murphy, who is heading into a big year of his own. The Bengals’ 2023 first-round pick has flashed at times over his first three seasons, and last year was his strongest yet: 52 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed.
Having a player like Mafe alongside him gives Murphy another veteran to lean on for the details that can separate a good edge player from a great one. And that veteran voice has become a bigger part of the Bengals’ defense overall, with several newcomers stepping into leadership roles and Murphy noting the value of learning from the experience in the room.
The early signs have shown up on the field, too. During Cincinnati’s first padded practice, Mafe and Murphy both stood out by consistently getting pressure and disrupting plays in the backfield.
Murphy also described what defensive coordinator Al Golden is trying to build on that side of the ball.
“He never wants to give the quarterback a concrete look,” Murphy said. “It’s the NFL, and we’re going against the best quarterback in the league every single day, so the last thing we want to do is to sit still and give him a concrete read.”
Still, Murphy suggested the biggest shift for him this season may not be the scheme or even the new faces around him. It may simply be the way he sees himself.
“More so just knowing who I am and seeing who I can be,” Murphy said. “Having that confidence and sureness in the defense and knowing that we’re going to get on the ball and balling out.”
That’s the kind of line the Bengals have been waiting to hear from a player they still believe is on the rise. Murphy has 8.5 sacks through his first three NFL seasons, but at 24 years old, he still has plenty of runway left to make his biggest jump yet.
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