Joseph Ossai played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he was a consensus All-American.
21 Facts About Joseph Ossai
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Joseph Ossai was drafted by the Bengals in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft.
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Joseph Ossai attended Oak Ridge High School, where he played basketball and football and was a two-time all-district and academic all-district honoree.
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In three seasons with the Longhorns, Joseph Ossai played in 36 games and made 24 starts, earning consensus All-America honors in 2020 with first-team recognition from the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America and Walter Camp Football Foundation and second-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association and Sporting News.
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Joseph Ossai was a finalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award in 2020 and earned earned honorable mention as the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year.
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Joseph Ossai chose to forego the 2020 Alamo Bowl and his senior season to go pro.
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Joseph Ossai led the team with 62 tackles in his sophomore season while recording five sacks, two interceptions, one pass broken up, one forced fumble and blocked a kick.
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Joseph Ossai was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Chuck Bednarik Award and Lott IMPACT Trophy watchlists entering his junior season.
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On 14 December 2020, Joseph Ossai announced his decision to enter the 2021 NFL draft, choosing to forgo Texas' 2020 Bowl game and his senior season.
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Joseph Ossai was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
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Joseph Ossai signed his four-year rookie contract on 2 June 2021.
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Joseph Ossai suffered a meniscus injury in the second preseason game.
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Joseph Ossai was placed on injured reserve on 31 August 2021, ending his season.
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In 2022, Joseph Ossai was named the backup right defensive end, behind Trey Hendrickson on the depth chart.
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Joseph Ossai made his NFL debut in the Bengals' 2022 regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Joseph Ossai appeared in 16 regular season games and recorded 3.5 sacks, 17 total tackles, one pass defended, and two fumble recoveries.
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In 2023, Joseph Ossai returned to his role as a substitute defensive end for the season, behind Hendrickson on the right side.
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Joseph Ossai recorded his first sack of the season in Week 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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In 2024, Joseph Ossai remained healthy and played in all 17 games, recording his first 3 career starts filling in for the injured Sam Hubbard and playing a career-high number of snaps.
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Joseph Ossai recorded one deflected pass, his first 2 career forced fumbles, career-highs in sacks, tackles, tackles for loss and QB hits.
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On March 14,2025, Joseph Ossai re-signed with the Bengals on a one-year contract.