Scouting New York Jets edge defender Joseph Ossai

In the run-up to the draft, we’ll be breaking down all of the players added by the Jets during free agency and in the legal tampering window. We continue today with edge defender Joseph Ossai.

The 25-year old Ossai is listed at 6’4” and 253 pounds and was a third round pick out of Texas in 2021. After missing his entire rookie season due to injury, he has 14.5 sacks in the past four years and has started 12 games, including nine last season.

Background

Ossai, who was born in Lagos, and didn’t see a football game until he was 10, was a four-star high school linebacker recruit who played college football for Texas.

In his first season with the Longhorns, Ossai made two starts and ended up with 20 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in 14 games. He became a full-time starting linebacker in his second season in 2019 and racked up 90 tackles along with two interceptions in 13 starts as he earned an all-Big 12 honorable mention.

At the end of the season, he moved to defensive end for the Alamo Bowl and won the MVP as he registered three sacks, giving him five on the season. This led to a full-time move in 2020.

The position switch went well as he had 55 tackles, five sacks and three forced fumbles despite the season being shortened to just nine games due to the pandemic. He was an all-Big 12 first teamer and consensus all-American.

Ossai was selected early in the third round of the 2021 draft and his rookie preseason got off to a promising start but then he hurt his knee and missed his entire rookie season.

Over the next two seasons, he was in a reserve role, registering 27 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 17 quarterback hits in 30 games.

The final season of his rookie contract saw Ossai start the first three games of his career as his role increased and he produced well with 46 tackles, five sacks and 15 quarterback hits.

This fed into the 2025 campaign, ahead of which he was signed to a one-year extension. With Trey Hendrickson missing plenty of time due to injuries, Ossai was able to start nine games and had 43 tackles and five more sacks.

Ossai was signed by the Jets in free agency on a three-year deal with a reported maximum value of $36 million.

Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Ossai brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.

Measurables/Athleticism

Ossai isn’t particularly big but has adequate size and excellent length. At his pro day workout he reportedly ran an unofficial 4.4 in the 40-yard dash but ultimately the official time was recorded as 4.63, which is still good but not quite as eye-opening.

He also showcased impressive explosiveness with a 41.5-inch vertical and 131-inch broad jump, and posted 19 bench press reps.

Usage

As noted, Ossai began his college career as an off-ball linebacker, although Texas played a 3-3-5 system which often meant he could creep up to the edge to make an effective four-man front.

He moved into a more conventional defensive end role in 2020 and that’s been his role with the Bengals for his first five seasons.

Motor

Ossai’s motor is regarded as one of his main strengths as he gives a good effort in the trenches and hustles to cover a lot of ground in pursuit.

His playing time increased from a 51 percent snap count in 2024 to 67 percent in 2025 but 55 is the highest snap count he’s had in a regular season game so it could be an adjustment if he was expected to take on a full-time workload.

Pass rush

Ossai’s pressure percentages have been solid and although he has never had more than five sacks in a season, he’s been extremely consistent with his production, averaging over four per game in the past six years and some experts believe he has the potential to hit double digits one day.

He will normally line up out wide and has a quick get-off and an ability to bend so he can get pressure with a speed rush off the edge.

However, he also has some success rushing on the interior, either on stunts or having lined up across from a tackle but then rushed inside.

He is not known for his power but has increasingly shown improved strength and ability to collapse the pocket in recent years, so this is a growth area for him.

Run defense

Ossai is a solid run defender who had his most consistent season against the run last year. He is solid at setting the edge even though he isn’t renowned for his size and strength.

In college, he was an impactful run defender who had 29.5 tackles for loss in his last two season with only 10 of those attributable to sacks. He hasn’t blown up as many runs at the NFL level but did eclipse the total for the rest of his career combined as he had nine tackles for loss in 2025.

Technique

Ossai uses his hands well in the trenches, both in terms of extending his long arms when engaged with a blocker and fighting to keep his man’s hands off him to maintain separation.

In terms of pass rush moves, he has shown the ability to transition into a rip or arm-over move and he can also use a jab step to throw his man off-balance and has a good spin move in his repertoire.

Although it’s well-established that new defensive line coach Karl Dunbar “loathes” the spin move, that doesn’t mean that his players never use it. Instead it’s something for which he clearly feels less is more and that you shouldn’t lean on it too much.

Special teams

Ossai had four special teams tackles, two special teams penalties and one blocked kick in college.

At the NFL level, he hasn’t made any impact in kick coverage, but he has blocked two field goals.

Tackling

With his experience as a linebacker, including one year where he registered 90 tackles in that role, Ossai should be more adept than some other edge defenders at tackling in space.

Nevertheless, his missed tackle percentages are a little higher than you’d like at the NFL level and he had eight missed tackles last year as he struggles to break down at times.

That might have been a factor in his move out of the linebacker position because he missed 21 tackles in 2019 which was the second most in the Big 12 for all linebackers and eighth in the nation.

He has a knack for stripping the ball loose, especially when rushing the passer. He had five forced fumbles in three college seasons and has four in the past two seasons at the NFL level.

Coverage

Again, Ossai will have more experience in this area than most edge defenders and he’s dropped into coverage a few times per game and been targeted from time to time but doesn’t look entirely comfortable in these situations.

He has batted down two passes at the line at the NFL level and intercepted one pass in a preseason game.

In college, he had two interceptions and three passes defensed but he gave up a catch on over 80 percent of his targets at an average of 9.4 yards per reception.

Instincts/Intelligence

Ossai has at times been criticized for charging upfield without being prepared to react to the threat of a screen pass or the quarterback taking off. He has also been fooled by misdirection at times.

This seems to be something he has worked at, though. One thing he has noticeably started to become more effective at is taking on a block but keeping his head up so he can react to where the runner goes. That will be important if the Jets transition from an attacking scheme into more read-react looks next season.

Ossai was on the Big 12 commissioner’s honor roll in 2019 and also earned all-district academic honors.

He has jumped offside three times at the NFL level.

Attitude/Demeanor

Ossai was a team captain at Texas and displayed good leadership last year with the Bengals, where he noticeably became more vocal and said he knew that there were younger players who were looking up to him.

His on-field discipline has been solid with just 10 penalties in his career, although six of these were personal fouls. His late hit on Patrick Mahomes in the AFC title game famously set up the game-winning field goal that sent the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.

Injuries

Injuries have been a constant issue for Ossai, who missed his entire rookie season along with seven more games in the past four years.

It was a torn meniscus that cost him his rookie season and a shin/ankle injury that caused him to miss three games at the end of last year.

In between those times, he had multiple issues with his shoulder and wrist, missed two games with an ankle injury and hyper-extended his knee at the end of one year.

In college, Ossai had a shoulder issue in his final season that was likely the start of his ongoing issues at the pro level, which included a torn labrum in 2022 which he played through while sporting a brace.

His pro day workout was cut short due to a quad issue.

Scheme Fit

The Jets got rid of Jermaine Johnson in the T’Vondre Sweat trade and Ossai is a similarly built player who could be viewed as a direct replacement.

There has been speculation that the defense will be more multiple next year and could include some 3-4 packages, and if that does happen, Ossai’s past should make him comfortable to play as an outside linebacker in those sets.

Sweat was a teammate of Ossai’s in Texas and he was also a teammate of current Jets Austin McNamara, Isaiah Williams and Cade York with the Bengals.

Conclusions

Ossai received mid-level veteran starter money but it’s not entirely clear yet what his role will be and exactly how Will McDonald will be used ahead of his salary increasing to the fifth-year option level in 2027.

There is plenty of speculation that the Jets will draft an edge defender with a high pick, maybe even the second overall pick. This has only intensified since Johnson was traded. Ossai has been brought in along with Kingsley Enagbare to fill out the rotation but how his long-term future plays out will depend on the incoming rookie and McDonald’s future.

It’s a three-year deal though, so he should be around for the next few years, getting plenty of reps and being relied on to produce even if he is only in a rotational role.

The Jets will be hoping this is a signing with plenty of upside and that Ossai is going to make a jump to take his game to another level with them, but even if this doesn’t happen, he can still be a consistent contributor with them.

Scouting New York Jets edge defender Joseph Ossai

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