A consensus All-American at Texas who has developed into a reliable pass-rushing defensive end after a rookie year lost to injury.
Joseph Ossai joined the Jets after five seasons in Cincinnati, where he grew from a rotational pass rusher into a steady double-digit-sack contributor. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in Conroe, Texas, Ossai built his reputation as an explosive edge presence at the University of Texas before the Bengals made him a third-round pick.
Path to the league
Ossai starred at Texas, where he led the Big 12 with 16 tackles for loss as a junior in 2020 and earned consensus All-American honors along with first-team All-Big 12 recognition. The Cincinnati Bengals selected him in the third round, 69th overall, of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
A torn meniscus wiped out Ossai's entire rookie season, but he returned in 2022 to post 3.5 sacks and two fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown against Baltimore. He broke out in 2024 with career highs of 5.0 sacks, 26 tackles and 15 quarterback hits across all 17 games for Cincinnati.
2025 season recap
Ossai appeared in 14 games with nine starts for the Bengals in 2025, recording 5.0 sacks and career highs in tackles for loss (9) and assisted tackles (22) before signing with the Jets in free agency.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Joseph Ossai
- Pro Football Reference: Joseph Ossai
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
14 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | bengals | 14 | 43 | 21 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | bengals | 17 | 46 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023 | bengals | 14 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | bengals | 16 | 17 | 6 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive End
- Group
- defense
- College
- Texas
- Hometown
- Conroe, TX, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
