The Cincinnati Bengals have been struggling mightily with injuries early in the offseason. After all, their depth at defensive end and right tackle has been decimated after season-ending injuries to defensive end Cam Sample and offensive tackle D’ante Smith. If the injury issue worsens, this team will find itself shorthanded once the regular season kicks off in two weeks.
Cincinnati Bengals Defensive End Suffers Major Injury in Preseason Window
Unfortunately, the injured list continued to grow when expected standout defensive end Myles Murphy suffered a non-contact injury to his knee during a joint practice with the Indianapolis Colts on Tuesday afternoon. When he attempted to make a cut after erupting off the line of scrimmage, Murphy felt a tweak in his knee and was immediately carted off the field.
Myles Murphy just went down. Non-contact. 😢 pic.twitter.com/hAAFaFhLq3
— ZIM (@zimwhodey) August 20, 2024
The initial prognosis was that Murphy had sprained his knee and would likely be available for the kickoff of the regular season but that timeline was substantially extended later in the week. Murphy is now expected to miss the next four to six weeks with the knee sprain and the team is reportedly going to be conservative with him to be sure that he returns to the team at 100% later in the season.
While Murphy is still technically listed as a backup behind defensive ends Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard, his injury dramatically shifted how head coach Zac Taylor will manage his team for the rest of the preseason. It was expected that Taylor would use the final preseason game on Thursday Night against the Colts as an opportunity to shore up the starting spots but after the injury to Murphy, all starters were designated as inactive during the game.
After Murphy was selected with the 28th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, there was the expectation that he would make the jump toward becoming an elite pass rusher this season. According to news organizations in Cincinnati, Murphy has looked exceptional during his training camp window. Murphy is now expected to step in and become an active contributor during the third week of the season at the earliest.
On top of Murphy, this organization desperately needs to stay healthy if they want any realistic opportunity to accomplish their goals this season. If any other players sustain major injuries over the next few weeks, this team may be projected to fall out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.
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