The Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of great things going for them.
And one doesn’t have to look far to find some Joseph Ossai hype.
Ossai, a third-round pick in 2021, burst onto the scene looking like a star and played with the first-team units during the preseason before going down with a season-ending injury.
Fast forward to now. Ossai had another minor procedure but is expected to be back in time for training camp. And he’s saying all the right things in the meantime.
“You got to go take it,” Ossai said, according to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. “That’s what I intend on doing. Nothing is going to be handed to me just because people expect things from you. Just because you had a good game, nothing is going to be handed. I still have to go out there and compete. We have a great room full of guys that can rush the passer. Hopefully, I’ll do enough and my coaches and teammates will trust me to have that position.”
Social media posts involving Ossai tend to go, well, bonkers:
Defensive end Joseph Ossai doing rehab work on a side field. After a stellar preseason, the Bengals have high hopes for the second-year player who will be a key part of the d-line rotation this year in his first NFL regular season. Looks to be accelerating at ease #Bengals pic.twitter.com/ECyR5CE7oh
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) May 24, 2022
Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt, Joseph Ossai, Lou Anarumo and Tee Higgins working on rehab field Tuesday #Bengals pic.twitter.com/VHjfdlArYN
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) May 24, 2022
Normally, this sort of hype would seem unwarranted for a rookie who looked good during the preseason. He hasn’t shown it when the games matter, right?
But the fact Ossai was already running with the first team opposite Trey Hendrickson, which kicked Sam Hubbard inside, spoke to the expectations coaches have for him. That he was a notable standout on film, even getting around strong players like Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs, was an exclamation point.
To add to this, the Bengals didn’t go overboard adding a third pass rusher in free agency or the draft despite the obvious need, a low-key affirmation of their hopes for Ossai.
If Ossai can live up to those expectations, a defense that helped get Cincinnati to the Super Bowl could be even better next season.
