Bengals must replace rookie edge rusher Ossai
Joseph Ossai was drafted in the third round this year, but he immediately became a starter on the Cincinnati Bengals pass rush unit. But in his first preseason game, he suffered a knee injury that will keep him out indefinitely. While Ossai is just a rookie, he’ll be one of the most difficult players for the Bengals to replace.
The Bengals mix the defensive line rotation on rushing downs and on passing downs. During the preseason opener, Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, D.J. Reader and Larry Ogunjobi looked slated to be on the field for most first and second downs.
But in third-and-long situations and in two minute drills, they use their best pass rushers, and Ossai earned a spot in that group. And he exceeded expectations in the preseason opener by recording a sack, two quarterback hits and three tackles.
Initially, the most likely first-team pass rush grouping included Ossai and Hendrickson on the edge and Hubbard and Ogunjobi at defensive tackle. Without Ossai, here are options for the pass rush defensive line.
h Rookie defensive end Cam Sample had played more on the interior defensive line in pass rush situations during training camp. While Sample was a productive pass rusher from the inside and has lined up at defensive end on some early downs, he hasn’t shown the same burst and explosiveness as Ossai.
h Khalid Kareem held Ossai’s role on the defense at the end of the 2020 season. Kareem has missed the start of training camp and returned to practice on Sunday, so he hasn’t taken many reps with the Bengals’ current defensive linemen. Last season, he had just one sack and two quarterback hits on 259 snaps.
h Undrafted free agent Darius Hodge has transitioned from a linebacker into an edge rusher during training camp. Even though he had never been an edge rusher before this preseason, he has been one of the Bengals most productive players this summer.
h The Bengals could turn to Noah Spence, a free agent the team signed on Sunday, in pass rush situations. At Ohio State, Spence was the most productive edge rusher on a team that included two future NFL stars in Joey Bosa and Ryan Shazier. But Spence’s college success hasn’t translated into the NFL. He has two sacks since 2017, and he hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
h Hubbard has mostly played on the interior defensive line on third downs, but he could move to the edge and give a defensive tackle Mike Daniels, Josh Tupou or D.J. Reader more playing time.