Tag: Joseph Ossai

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Joseph Ossai might just end up being the biggest addition to the Cincinnati Bengals defense in 2022.

That’s an interesting thing to suggest considering Ossai missed all of last year with an injury as a rookie after he suffered a torn meniscus. But Ossai’s flashes, even besting elite offensive tackles in the preseason, suggest he’d be a great pass-rusher opposite Trey Hendrickson.

Notably, the Bengals just made a handful of roster moves that shifted guys like La’el Collins to injured lists. The lack of Ossai’s name coming up hints he’s well on track to be full go for training camp, as the team didn’t even take the precaution of putting him on a list (doing so before camp starts would mean they can take him off whenever).

This is an especially interesting development because it was revealed back in May that Ossai had another procedure done.

So while fans might fret over La’el Collins suddenly showing up on an injury list, the team did get a major win, at least for now, with Ossai seemingly ready to go for camp.

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The Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of great things going for them.

And one doesn’t have to look far to find some Joseph Ossai hype.

Ossai, a third-round pick in 2021, burst onto the scene looking like a star and played with the first-team units during the preseason before going down with a season-ending injury.

Fast forward to now. Ossai had another minor procedure but is expected to be back in time for training camp. And he’s saying all the right things in the meantime.

“You got to go take it,” Ossai said, according to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. “That’s what I intend on doing. Nothing is going to be handed to me just because people expect things from you. Just because you had a good game, nothing is going to be handed. I still have to go out there and compete. We have a great room full of guys that can rush the passer. Hopefully, I’ll do enough and my coaches and teammates will trust me to have that position.”

Social media posts involving Ossai tend to go, well, bonkers:

Defensive end Joseph Ossai doing rehab work on a side field. After a stellar preseason, the Bengals have high hopes for the second-year player who will be a key part of the d-line rotation this year in his first NFL regular season. Looks to be accelerating at ease #Bengals pic.twitter.com/ECyR5CE7oh

— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) May 24, 2022

Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Joseph Ossai, Lou Anarumo and Tee Higgins working on rehab field Tuesday #Bengals pic.twitter.com/VHjfdlArYN

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 24, 2022

Normally, this sort of hype would seem unwarranted for a rookie who looked good during the preseason. He hasn’t shown it when the games matter, right?

But the fact Ossai was already running with the first team opposite Trey Hendrickson, which kicked Sam Hubbard inside, spoke to the expectations coaches have for him. That he was a notable standout on film, even getting around strong players like Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs, was an exclamation point.

To add to this, the Bengals didn’t go overboard adding a third pass rusher in free agency or the draft despite the obvious need, a low-key affirmation of their hopes for Ossai.

If Ossai can live up to those expectations, a defense that helped get Cincinnati to the Super Bowl could be even better next season.

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Cincinnati Bengals breakout rookie Joseph Ossai starts his rookie season on injured reserve, which means he isn’t eligible to return.

Ossai is the headline item as far as Bengals injuries go after the team trimmed the roster to 53. The nature of his injury — a knee issue discovered while checking him for another injury suffered during a preseason game — means he wouldn’t have been able to return after surgery.

Unlike Ossai, rookie defensive end Wyatt Hubert and offensive tackle Hakeem Adeniji were placed on the NFI list, not IR — which means they are eligible to return after a six-week period. The nature of their injuries suggests they won’t, but the team has left the door open just in case.

Also of note is an injury suffered by defensive end Khalid Kareem. Tight end Mitchell Wilcox also has an issue and rookie Cam Sample might too (the Bengals don’t have to be open about injuries until the regular season starts). Just keep in mind that these guys, or other injured players, can now be placed on short-term IR since they made the 53, and they would only have to miss a minimum of three weeks.

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