This Is Joseph Ossai’s Last Chance To Prove Himself
Syndication: The Enquirer
To say that Joseph Ossai has faced a tough start to his career would be an understatement. He suffered a torn meniscus in the second preseason game of his rookie season, and he missed the entire 2021 campaign as a result. He also suffered a torn labrum late in the 2022 season, then sprained his ankle in the 2023 preseason.
His best season was in 2022, where he was modestly productive in relief of Trey Hendrickson. However, it was largely overshadowed by a season-ending penalty that he committed against Patrick Mahomes in the 2022-23 AFC Championship game.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING JOSEPH OSSAI pic.twitter.com/wEP6BZ3QBS
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) January 30, 2023
In 2024, the Texas product is fully healthy and ready to put all of that adversity behind him. He’s ready to prove that he was worth the third-round pick that the Bengals used on him in 2021.
“It makes a world of difference when you’re not having to take time off and then start from scratch and build, build, build,” Ossai said following the Bengals’ final mandatory minicamp practice.
Ossai saw limited playing time in 2023, playing in just over 16% of defensive snaps and only recording five tackles and a single sack. Ossai still has plenty of room to grow. Even though this is his fourth year in the league, he is still just 24 years old. The fact that he will have a full offseason could lead to a leap in production and playing time.
“Joseph is not rehabbing anything this year,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. “He’s in there every day, every day, just working on different things. I’m anxious to see a healthy Joseph Ossai.”
For the majority of his career, Ossai has played in relief of Hendrickson. While Hendrickson is coming off of a career year of 17.5 sacks and his third-straight Pro Bowl berth, he will turn 30 in December. He also requested a trade back in April after being unable to come to an agreement with the Bengals on a long-term deal. Due to the uncertainty with Hendrickson, who accounted for nearly 40% of the Bengals’ sacks in 2023, a jump in production from Ossai would put the Bengals in a much better position.
For now, however, learning behind Hendrickson and entering minicamp with a clean bill of health has seemed to do wonders for Ossai.
4. It’s the first time since joining the team that Joseph Ossai did not need offseason surgery. Now he’s eager to apply lessons he’s learned from watching Trey Hendrickson.
“It was my understudy year so to speak, getting to observe him being a master at what he does,” Ossai said. pic.twitter.com/mO3c5mfySI— Dan Hoard (@Dan_Hoard) May 28, 2024
Ossai is a part of a deep defensive line room. The aforementioned Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, Cam Sample, rookie Cedric Johnson, and 2023 first-round pick Myles Murphy make up the rest of Cincinnati’s edge rushers. They’re also strong on the interior, even though the Bengals lost DJ Reader in free agency. They made up for it by signing Sheldon Rankins and by spending draft picks on Kris Jenkins and McKinnley Jackson on the second day of the draft.
While Ossai recognizes what’s at stake entering his contract year, his attitude towards becoming a better player remains the same as it has always been.
“My work ethic isn’t changing because it’s a contract year,” Ossai said. “No way. Yes, it does heighten things a little bit. I’ll admit that. But I’m not worried about it because my work ethic has never changed. It’s been the same since my freshman year in high school.”
Lou Anarumo echoed Ossai’s sentiment of putting in the necessary effort.
"His want-to and effort has been tremendous" Lou Anarumo on Joseph Ossai. Says Ossai just needs to start clean next year with his health. "We're taking some lumps along the way with these young guys… Xavien Howard was not the same guy… more comfortable in your own skin (in…
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) January 3, 2024
Cincinnati’s defense was destroyed by communication issues and surrendering too many big plays in 2023. The biggest area affected was at safety, where the Dax Hill/Nick Scott experiment failed miserably. The Bengals responded by signing Geno Stone and Vonn Bell to go along with 2023 standout rookie Jordan Battle, who took over Scott’s job midway through last season. They also kicked off the 2024 offseason by moving Hill to the corner and by launching Scott into the sun.
With a full offseason to work out those kinks, Ossai is optimistic that 2024 will see drastically improved communication on defense.
“We’ve been working on it,” Ossai said. “It’s all we’ve talked about. The biggest thing is the communication. And through OTAs, we’re sharp. You can see the young guys are talking, the old guys are talking, everybody’s clean and crisp. I’m excited to see how it all plays out.”
Entering his fourth season, Ossai has 22 combined tackles, 4.5 sacks, and even has a touchdown on a recovered fumble for good measure. The flashes were there, he just needed to be healthy enough to put it together.
Strip sack by Trey Hendrickson!
Fumble recovered Joseph Ossai!TOUCHDOWN BENGALS pic.twitter.com/9lLBbO0moV
— Cincinnati 💔 (@CincyProblems) January 8, 2023
The young defensive lineman is looking to be much more of a contributor in the 2024 season. He added that his contract year coinciding with an offseason where he has a clean bill of health is “perfect timing”.
“I’m extremely excited about this season because we (the defensive linemen) look great,” Ossai said. “Even the whole defense, we look sharp.” If so, Ossai can cement his future in Cincinnati.
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