Joseph Ossai

A 2021 third-round draft pick, Ossai suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason of his rookie year, but returned to play in all 16 regular-season and all three postseason games for the Bengals in '22 ... A long and athletic pass-rusher, he totaled 17 tackles, with 3.5 sacks, one PD and two FRs as a reserve defensive end ... Scored Cincinnati's only defensive TD of the season in Week 18 vs. Baltimore, when he pounced on a fumble forced by DE Trey Hendrickson in the Ravens' end zone in the final minute of the first half ... Saw action on 335 defensive snaps ... Chose to forgo final season of college eligibility to enter 2021 NFL Draft, after spending three years ('18-20) at the University of Texas ... Born in Nigeria (Ketu Ijanikin, Lagos); his family moved to the United States when he was 10 ... First saw game of football at age 10, after arriving in U.S.

Pro Career:

• A 2021 third-round draft pick, Ossai suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason of his rookie year, but returned to play in all 16 regular-season and all three postseason games for the Bengals in '22 ... A long and athletic pass-rusher, he totaled 17 tackles, with 3.5 sacks, one PD and two FRs as a reserve defensive end ... Scored Cincinnati's only defensive TD of the season in Week 18 vs. Baltimore, when he pounced on a fumble forced by DE Trey Hendrickson in the Ravens' end zone in the final minute of the first half ... Saw action on 335 defensive snaps ... Chose to forgo final season of college eligibility to enter 2021 NFL Draft, after spending three years ('18-20) at the University of Texas ... Born in Nigeria (Ketu Ijanikin, Lagos); his family moved to the United States when he was 10 ... First saw game of football at age 10, after arriving in U.S.

Career Transactions:

• Selected by Cincinnati in third round of 2021 NFL Draft (69th overall) ... Signed with Bengals on 6-2-21.

2022 Season:

• Played in all 16 games and three postseason games for Cincinnati ... Totaled 17 tackles (six solos), with 3.5 sacks, one PD, and two FRs during regular season ... Made NFL debut on Sept. 11 against Pittsburgh ... Logged first career sack on Oct. 23 vs. Atlanta, bringing down QB Marcus Mariota for loss of eight yards on third down to force a Falcons punt in the fourth quarter ... On Dec. 4 against Kansas City, sacked Patrick Mahomes for four-yard loss on third down with 4:09 remaining in fourth quarter; play led to missed FG and allowed Bengals' offense to drain remainder of the clock ... On Dec. 18 at Tampa Bay, recovered a fumble at Buccaneers' 13-yard line in third quarter, leading to Bengals TD five plays later ... Scored Cincinnati's first defensive TD of the season on Jan. 8 vs. Baltimore, recovering a fumble (forced by DE Trey Hendrickson) in the Ravens' end zone in final minute of first half ... Had six tackles (one for loss) and a PD in postseason ... Tallied five tackles in AFC Championship at Kansas City, with a stop on RB Jerick McKinnon for loss of three yards in the fourth quarter.

Previous Seasons:

• 2021—Did not play as a rookie, after suffering left knee injury in preseason opener at Tampa Bay ... Placed Aug. 31 on Reserve/Injured, where he spent entire regular season and postseason.

College:

• Spent three seasons (2018-20) at Texas, and chose to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft ... Played in 36 games, and totaled 165 tackles, 30.5 tackles for losses, 11 sacks, two INTs, five PDs, five FFs, a FR and a blocked PAT ... As a junior in 2020, his 16 tackles for losses led the Big 12 and ranked No. 3 nationally.

High School/Personal:

• Hometown is Ketu Ijanikin, Lagos, Nigeria ... Moved to the United States at age 10, and was raised in Conroe, Texas (outside Houston) ... Attended Oak Ridge High School in Conroe, Texas (outside Houston) ... As a senior, posted 58 tackles, eight sacks and three FFs ... Attended Conroe High School as a freshman, and played safety ... Also competed in basketball and track & field ... Last name is pronounced "o-SIGH."