CINCINNATI (WXIX) – Back in Week 4, Myles Murphy had a bad game as the Bengals lost to the Broncos. He had zero impact on the game as a pass rusher, there were moments where he was out of position and his technique on one play led to him colliding with Trey Hendrickson.
The following week, with the Bengals facing the Lions, Murphy played a season-low 13 snaps. That became a turning point for the third-year defensive end, who has gone on to become one of the biggest bright spots on the Bengals’ defense.
“He realized then and there, I’ve got to (poop) or get off the pot,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said. “After that, he really started just growing and really buying into the physicality and playing with hands and great fundamentals.”
Montgomery said that during the second half of the season, Murphy has shown that he’s a physical early down run player who’s starting to tap more into his physical traits as a pass rusher and make more and more of an impact on third downs. Montgomery said that Murphy has made “huge strides,” and Murphy is in a good position to be a starter on the 2026 Bengals.
Several of the other young pieces on the Bengals’ defensive line still look like they’re in that stage that Murphy was in back in Week 4 and Week 5.
“If you can’t play to the standard of the room, I don’t care who you are, how much you’re getting paid or what round you were (drafted),” Montgomery said. “If you can’t play to the standard, we’re going to find somebody to do it.”
Murphy’s strong second half of that year shows that a leap is possible, and he’s a reminder that you shouldn’t give up on a young defensive lineman with standout traits. Murphy really had to work to get to the level that he’s at now.
“I got here, and all I heard in the public was that he’s a bust, he’s a bust, he’s a bust,” Montgomery said. “I’d never worked with him for a day. My goal was to make him more physical at the point of attack and use his God-gifted traits.”
Murphy is getting there. The next step for the Bengals’ defensive line is finding more pass rush help around him, particularly with Trey Hendrickson and Joseph Ossai hitting free agency.
The only notable defensive ends under contract for 2026 are Murphy, Shemar Stewart and Cedric Johnson. BJ Hill, TJ Slaton, Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson are all under contract to return in 2026. But Hill, Slaton and Jenkins all ranked in the bottom-30 (out of 102) in the entire NFL for pressure rates from a qualified defensive lineman in 2025, and Jackson only had three pressures all season.
“When the guys have stepped up, they’ve grown,” Montgomery said. “They’re still not where I want them to be as a group. They’ve made drastic improvement from where they were when I got here. There’s progress being built. They’re playing more confidently. They believe in what we’re doing. They’re being more physical at the point of attack. They’re being active as rushers. It’s a start.”
While the defensive line is a unit that desperately needs and will certainly get some outside help entering 2026 (I’d invest in this position group more than any other in free agency and the draft this spring), the Bengals also need their young pieces to take several steps.
It’s turned into a lost rookie year for Stewart, who skipped OTAs and some of training camp due to a contract dispute and has missed nine games this season due to ankle and knee injuries.
“He needs a big offseason,” Montgomery said. “He needs a tremendous strength and conditioning (program) in the offseason. It’s got to be something he wants, not that I want. He has the size and strength to do whatever he wants. It’s just the willingness to want to learn and grow and be locked into the things we’re asking him to do. He can do whatever he wants. He can move all around. But it’s got to be something that he’s passionate about. If it’s not, then he’ll have to beat out other people.”
Recently, Al Golden was discussing the major leap that cornerback DJ Turner made this season. Golden touted Turner’s consistency, attention to detail and desire to be process oriented.
Later, when asked about Stewart, Golden said that everything he said about Turner is what Stewart needs.
“(Stewart) doesn’t know it to the extent he needs to yet,” Golden said. “He shows great promise in there. He has the power to bull rush. He has the length to win with his hands. If the slide goes away, he’s a tough out for a guard. That’s going to help us moving forward.”
The injuries are a part of the story of Stewart’s season. He looked banged up as he was playing in October — consecutive games where he was benched mid-game following missed tackles, quarterback scrambles allowed and plays that he didn’t finish.
“I saw a guy that was fighting through injury,” Zac Taylor said. “He has just had a tough go of it this season. And it’s because things that have happened to him off the field.”
Stewart has the tools to be any style of defensive end. He could be anything from a speed rusher around the end to a disruptive pass rushing presence at defensive tackle. But obviously, the level of play in 2025 hasn’t been good enough.
Montgomery shared what his message is going to be to Stewart entering the offseason.
“Take the offseason and take the things that we’ve worked on and when you leave here, come back the same way you left,” Montgomery said. “That way when you come back, we don’t have to start all the way over. From a fundamental standpoint, let’s work on your pad level, your hand placement, playing with a better base, playing with better knee bend.”
Just like Murphy emerged out of the muck of the “bust” conversation, Stewart has a path to being a long-term contributor for the Bengals.
Murphy worked his way into the piece he is now, showing the (difficult) path for a player like Stewart to get there.
“I was really excited early in the year about Shemar before he got injured about how he was playing, setting edges and running to the ball,” Golden said. “He needs to just go, get healthy and find the joy in playing.”
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