Four-year veteran edge defender Joseph Ossai signed a new contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. Ossai, a former third-round pick, returns to the Bengals on a one-year deal.
Bengals FA DE Joseph Ossai is expected to sign with the …. Bengals on a 1-year, $7M deal
— Ian Rapoport (@rapsheet1.bsky.social) March 10, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Joseph Ossai, Bengals, Agree to Contract
The final year of Joseph Ossai’s rookie contract was arguably the best of his young career. Appearing in all 17 games while making three seasons, the pass rusher finished the season with five sacks, 46 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, and 15 quarterback hits – all career highs – while his 58.3 PFF grade made him the 85th-best at his position out of 119 eligible players. Despite his decent play, the Bengals defense was one of the worst in the league and was the largest catalyst in the team missing the playoffs.
Joseph Ossai originally entered the league as a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Selected by the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texas product was supposed to help a woebegone franchise return to relevance. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason and missed his entire rookie season. Without him, the Bengals made the playoffs and advanced to the Super Bowl before narrowly losing to Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
Ossai returned to action in 2022 but couldn’t claim a starting spot. Playing in a situational role, the former third-round pick finished his de-facto rookie season with 3.5 sacks, 17 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and 10 quarterback hits while appearing in 16 games without making a start. Cincinnati once again went on a deep playoff run but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
He followed that up with a similar season in 2023. Appearing in 14 games, Ossai recorded one sack, 10 tackles, one tackle-for-loss, and seven quarterback hits in a reserve role. With Joe Burrow battling injury, the Bengals missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Since signing his rookie contract, Joseph Ossai has recorded 9.5 sacks, 73 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, and 32 quarterback hits.
Main Photo: Albert Cesare – Imagn Images
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