When the Cincinnati Bengals added Boye Mafe this offseason, the obvious expectation was that he would help the pass rush. According to Myles Murphy, Mafe is bringing considerably more than that.
The knowledge Mafe has brought to Cincinnati’s defensive front is one of the biggest things that has impressed Murphy so far through camp.
“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 arrived in Cincinnati after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and helping them to a Super Bowl championship last year. The former second-round pick has 20 career sacks and gives the Bengals an experienced edge presence as they reshape their defensive front.
Murphy is entering a pivotal season of his own. The Bengals’ 2023 first-round pick has shown flashes during his first three years in Cincinnati, with last year being his best to date with 52 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed.
The addition of an experienced player such as Mafe gives Murphy someone alongside him who can help with the finer points of playing the position.
That veteran influence has become a theme throughout Cincinnati’s defense. Mafe is among a group of experienced newcomers who have taken on vocal roles, and Murphy has specifically talked about learning from the veterans Cincinnati brought into the building.
The results are beginning to show on the practice field as well. Mafe and Murphy were among the standouts during Cincinnati’s first padded practice, repeatedly creating pressure and disrupting the offense in the backfield.
Murphy also offered some insight into what defensive coordinator Al Golden is trying to accomplish schematically.
“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.”
For Murphy, though, perhaps the biggest change entering this season isn’t another player or even Golden’s scheme. It’s confidence.
“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 an encouraging statement from a player the Bengals have been waiting to see take the next step. Murphy has recorded just 8.5 sacks through his first three seasons in the league. But at 24 years old, there is still plenty of reason to believe his best football could be ahead of him.
And perhaps Mafe can help bring some of that out.
