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Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Joseph Ossai returns for the chance to start in Cincinnati's new defense

   

Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati's regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day's highlighted player.

58 days remain until the Bengals' first game of the 2025 season, and No. 58 Joseph Ossai will have nothing holding him back.

Joseph Ossai

Age: 25
Year: 5th
Position: Defensive end
College: Texas
Previous Teams: None
Jersey Number: 58

Ossai enters his fifth season in the NFL and with the Bengals after being selected 69th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. He played 36 games in three years at Texas and led the Big 12 with 16 tackles for loss as a junior in 2020. He was raised just outside of Houston after his family moved from Nigeria when he was 10. 

Ossai's rookie season in 2021 was wiped out due to torn meniscus he suffered in the preseason. He put together a full season in 2022, racking up 3.5 sacks in a rotational role. Another preseason injury, this time with his ankle, derailed the beginning of his 2023 season and he only played 14 games and 177 snaps all season. He returned for another full season in 2024 and registered a career-high five sacks, all of which came in Week 11 and after.

Cincinnati finally turned to Ossai as a starter last year after Sam Hubbard's season, and career, ended with a knee injury in Week 15. The Bengals saw the benefits of having their third-round pick from four years ago rush more often, and decided to give it one more try this offseason with a mostly-new defensive coaching staff led by new defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery.

Bengals' Al Golden is poised to use Joseph Ossai frequently next season - Cincy Jungle

Contract Details

Ossai signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract in March. He's already earned a signing bonus of $3 million and a $100,000 workout bonus. During the season he can earn a base salary of $2.9 million and up to $500,000 in per game roster bonuses.

$6.5 million is both all the potential cash Ossai can earn for 2025 and his salary cap hit for the season. 

Roster Outlook

It was a pleasant surprise to see Ossai re-sign with Cincinnati this offseason. Three years of limited playing time and major coaching changes could've prompted him to look for opportunities elsewhere, but the Bengals made sure to retain his services on a true prove-it deal. 

He'll have every chance to prove himself and the team right this season. 

The battle to start at defensive opposite of Trey Hendrickson is really between Ossai and Myles Murphy. First-round pick Shemar Stewart is behind the eight ball after sitting out the entirety of the offseason program and his rookie contract fiasco has no end in sight. Even if Murphy wins that battle after training camp, Ossai is likely to see the field more this year than any of the previous three. 

I'd bet on Ossai having the upper hand in that battle for now, and with pressure on him to shine in another contract year, I won't bet against him to stay ahead of Murphy through the rest of the summer.

Projected role: Starting defensive end

Previous Player Profiles

  • No. 99: Myles Murphy
  • No. 98: T.J. Slaton Jr.
  • No. 97: Shemar Stewart
  • No. 96: Cam Sample
  • No. 95: Howard Cross III
  • No. 94: Eric Gregory
  • No. 93: McKinnley Jackson
  • No. 92: B.J. Hill
  • No. 91: Trey Hendrickson
  • No. 90: Kris Jenkins Jr.
  • No. 89: Drew Sample
  • No. 88: Mike Gesicki
  • No. 87: Tanner Hudson
  • No. 86: Kole Taylor
  • No. 85: Cam Grandy
  • No. 84: Tanner McLachlan
  • No. 83: Erick All Jr.
  • No. 82: Mitchell Tinsley
  • No. 81: Jermaine Burton
  • No. 80: Andrei Iosivas
  • No. 79: Andrew Coker
  • No. 77: Caleb Etienne
  • No. 76: Devin Cochran
  • No. 75: Orlando Brown Jr.
  • No. 74: Jalen Rivers
  • No. 73: Andrew Stueber
  • No. 71: Amarius Mims
  • No. 69: Dante Barnett
  • No. 68: Seth McLaughlin
  • No. 67: Cordell Volson
  • No. 66: Tashawn Manning
  • No. 65: Matt Lee
  • No. 64: Ted Karras
  • No. 63: Dylan Fairchild
  • No. 62: Lucas Patrick
  • No. 61: Cody Ford
  • No. 60: Jaxson Kirkland
  • No. 59: Craig Young
 
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