Cincinnati Bengals second-year defender Myles Murphy was the latest defensive end to go down with an injury at training camp this week.
Murphy, it seems, will fare better than the others, though.
According to Bengals Talk’s James Rapien and followed up by NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Murphy avoided a serious injury, with Tuesday’s non-contact injury resulting in a sprain.
That will keep Murphy on the shelf for an unknown amount of time, but it’s better than losing the 2023 first-round pick for an extended period. He’s heading into a critical second year after flashing as a rookie and the team is counting on him to reinforce the rotation currently led by Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard.
Hubbard was one of the other ends to go down with an injury during camp and is slowly working his way back after avoiding a serious-looking setback.
Cam Sample was another and was recently shifted to injured reserve.
The injuries have placed a bigger emphasis on the selection of sixth-round pick Cedric Johnson and other depth names. But if Murphy needs to miss time into the season, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the team look for outside help.