Bengals Get Terrible Joseph Ossai Injury Update

Despite the disappointing 4-11-1 finish last season, the Cincinnati Bengals entered the 2021 NFL season with the expectation of taking a huge step forward. Between the return of Joe Burrow from injury to a new-and-improved pass-rush, the Bengals were ready to start climbing out of rebuild mode.

Those plans took a major hit on Sunday when the team announced rookie pass-rusher Joseph Ossai will likely be out for the entire season after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus injury.

Joseph Ossai Injury Update

It's unclear when Ossai exactly suffered this knee injury, but the Bengals have already made plans to have him miss significant time this year. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Cincinnati has already signed veteran edge rusher Noah Spence as his replacement.

The Bengals struggled in multiple facets of their game last season. The offense scored just 19.4 points per game, which was understandable given the length of Burrow's absence. Cincinnati already expected to step up their offensive game this season, and defense was the next biggest area of concern.

In 2020, the Bengals presented an average defense after allowed 26.5 points per game (22nd). But, the pass-rush was clearly ineffective, ranking dead last in quarterback hurries (39), sacks (17), and the second-lowest quarterback pressures (111).

Ossai, a third-round draft pick, was poised to earn a starting role on the defensive line, especially after his Week 1 preseason performance in which he sacked Tom Brady.

It looks like the Bengals will have some work to do on the injury front again in 2021. Currently, the Bengals own longshot +1600 odds to win the AFC North division, according to NFL odds on FanDuel Sportsbook.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.