The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the teams to watch out for in the NFL offseason, particularly because of the situations involving the likes of wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
But on Monday night, Cincinnati grabbed attention with a decision not involving any of those names, with NFL insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reporting that the Bengals are re-signing defensive end Joseph Ossai to a new contract.
“#Bengals FA DE Joseph Ossai is expected to sign with the …. #Bengals on a 1-year, $7M deal done by @DavidMulugheta of @AthletesFirst,” Rapoport shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
While Hendrickson was clearly the best Bengals pass rusher in 2024, having led the entire NFL with 17.5 sacks, Ossai wasn’t too shabby himself on defense. He had 5.0 sacks to go with two forced fumbles, 15 quarterback hits, 46 combined tackles, four tackles for loss and a pass defended through 17 games, including three starts. The 24-year-old Texas Longhorns product was a third-round pick by the Bengals in the 2021 NFL draft.
Getting a short-term contract from the Bengals this offseason could serve as motivation for Ossai to perform incredibly well in the 2025 campaign if he wants to land a much bigger deal when he hits the NFL free agency again in 2026.
Ossai and the Bengals were just 25th overall in the league in 2024 with an average of 25.5 points allowed per game and 26th in defensive sack rate (5.91 percent).
Fans react to Bengals’ NFL free agency move on Joseph Ossai
“Best Bengals to Bengals signing of the year?” asked a fan on X.
Another one said: Ossai ended the season hot tallying 5 sacks and 10 QB Hits in the last 7 games. Smart decision to keep him around”
From a commenter: Much needed defensive move for the bengals”
“Not as exciting as i hoped when i got the alert,” a social media user posted.
Via a different X user: “1 year sucks but this was so necessary for next year or our pass rush was going to be XFL level. Still need to add another pass rusher in free agency or that’s locked into pick 17 of the draft.”
The post Bengals bring back defensive end but it’s not Trey Hendrickson appeared first on ClutchPoints.
