A national outlet named one former Clemson star who could potentially be headed for the bust label in the NFL.
CBS Sports published a “bust alert” article, highlighting eight NFL players “running out of time to prove themselves” entering the upcoming season.
“In this space, we’ll highlight a handful of players entering a sort of make-or-break season in 2026,” CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan wrote. “Either they’ll prove to be foundational pieces for their organization or reveal they’re not meant for stardom.”
Sullivan pegged former Clemson and current Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Myles Murphy as one of those players.
Murphy is entering his fourth professional season after being selected by the Bengals in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the No. 28 overall pick. Over his first two seasons with Cincinnati, he was used in a reserve role, but last season, he took a big step forward and started to realize some of his potential.
“Through the first two years of his career, Murphy didn’t start a single game and logged just three sacks in 30 games. However, he began to show flashes in his third season in 2025. He started 10 of 17 games and recorded a career-high 5.5 sacks,” Sullivan wrote.
“Cincinnati did not pick up his fifth-year option, meaning he is entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2026 and is set to become a free agent next offseason.”
A former blue-chip recruit, Murphy played three seasons at Clemson after signing with the Tigers in December 2019. Durability wasn’t an issue with Murphy, who played in all but one of the Tigers’ 39 games after arriving on campus. He finished his college career with 139 tackles (37 for loss), 17.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and six pass breakups, while earning Freshman All-America honors in 2020, a second-team All-ACC selection in 2021 and first-team All-ACC honors in 2022.
The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder tallied more defensive snaps (682) for the Bengals last season than he did over his first two years combined (658). According to Pro Football Focus, he had a career-high 41 pressures and led the Bengals with 31 hurries.
Despite the uptick in production last season, Sullivan weighed in on why Murphy might still end up being an NFL bust.
“The production hasn’t been there for most of his career, and he may get lost in the shuffle of Cincinnati’s revamped defensive line,” Sullivan wrote. “While the Bengals lost Trey Hendrickson in free agency, they added Boye Mafe and drafted Cashius Howell in the second round. Pair those two with 2025 first-round pass rusher Shemar Stewart, and Murphy could be jockeying for snaps.”
However, with that said, Sullivan predicts Murphy won’t be a bust when it’s all said and done.
“Murphy showed the Bengals he can produce when given a starting role,” Sullivan wrote. “Since adopting a full-time starting role in Week 9, he tallied four sacks and 37 tackles over nine games.”
Though the Bengals chose not to pick up their fifth-year option on Murphy, Cincinnati is reportedly still interested in keeping him around for the long haul.
According to the Bengals’ official website in late April, Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin indicated that “Murphy’s case is about salary cap flexibility more than anything else,” and “the team views Murphy’s career trajectory rising after last year’s breakout season saw him lead the team in sacks with 5.5.”
“He’s a 24-year-old guy that’s just starting to scratch the surface,” Tobin said, via Bengals.com. “I was pleased with his progression last year and how he took ownership of the starting role and how he grew throughout the season. By the end of the year, he was a problem for teams. He’s a guy that we believe in. He’s going to be a big part of what Al [defensive coordinator Al Golden] and his staff does.”
“The organization believes in Myles and will continue to explore a long-term relationship,” Tobin added.
Murphy is set to make $4 million in 2026. Had the Bengals exercised the option, he would have been guaranteed $14.475 million for the 2027 season.
