Bengals’ best building block faces key season in 2024

Is Myles Murphy the top building block on the Bengals?

Despite little in the way of roster turnover, the Cincinnati Bengals have some notable building blocks.

And on a list looking at younger players who might most impact the team’s future, Myles Murphy is impossible not to mention.

Murphy, the team’s first-rounder in 2023, is the pick for Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon, who assembled a list of the most promising building blocks still on rookie contracts:

Midway through his rookie year, Myles Murphy wouldn’t have merited this billing simply for being a 2023 first-round pick. He improved in the second half enough to jump past a few possible options in the secondary. Murphy totaled 20 stops with three sacks as a rookie but should hold a larger role in his second year.

Things started to click for Murphy last year as he earned more playing time, leading to some eyebrow-raising flashes.

Now, the Bengals expect a second-year leap from Murphy, who showed up even bigger this summer.

If the obvious upward trend can continue, Murphy’s rise would mean boosting a pass-rush in desperate need of help and, in turn, make life easier on a secondary undergoing a transition.

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