Joseph Ossai injury update: Bengals' pass rusher suffers ankle injury in preseason finale
The Cincinnati Bengals lost their final preseason game 21-19 to the Washington Commanders, but the results don't matter until next month. The real unfortunate news came in the first half when edge defender Joseph Ossai exited the game with an ankle injury. According to head coach Zac Taylor, the severity of Ossai's injury is unknown. […]
The Cincinnati Bengals lost their final preseason game 21-19 to the Washington Commanders, but the results don't matter until next month. The real unfortunate news came in the first half when edge defender Joseph Ossai exited the game with an ankle injury.
According to head coach Zac Taylor, the severity of Ossai's injury is unknown. Taylor speculated that the 23-year old pass-rusher might have sprained his ankle.
Ossai's injury came when most of the Bengals' second-team defense was still out on the field. It appeared as if Ossai's ankle got stepped on in a crowd of players. Ossai left the field on his own power and was later declared out of the contest.
Aside from quarterback Joe Burrow's strained calf and running back Trayveon Williams' sprained ankle, the Bengals have managed to stay healthy were it matters leading up to the regular season.
Burrow and Williams should both be okay to suit up for Week 1 in two weeks. Ossai's injury is the first that may have legitimate regular season implications.
Entering his third year in Cincinnati, Ossai is expected to make a huge leap as the defense's third edge rusher behind starters Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. Removing him from the defensive line rotation shakes up a lot of plans, and would force Cam Sample and first-round pick Myles Murphy to pick up the slack in the rotation.
With luck, Ossai recovers quickly and is able to suit up against the Cleveland Browns on September 10. We won't know if that's a possibility until later.
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