Jets DE Joseph Ossai: New Pass Rusher Will Be Under Pressure to Show Why He’s No. 21 Player in 2026

A look at Joseph Ossai as the countdown towards the Jets' 2026 season continues. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

To start our top 25 rankings of the most important Jets in 2026, we’ve been discussing multiple players in the trenches on both sides of the ball. It’s not a shock that our rankings have started there, as you can’t win at any level of football without having an edge on the offensive and defensive lines.

Therefore, coming in at No. 21 in our rankings will be veteran pass rusher Joseph Ossai. The 26-year-old defensive end is joining the Jets’ defense after spending the first four years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Ossai signed a three-year, $34.5 million deal in March, which was quite shocking, given that the Jets only gave Kingsley Enagbare a one-year, $9 million contract. However, it appears that New York believes more in his upside and how he can help their defense, not only as a pass rusher, but also in stopping the run.

Why is Joseph Ossai so important

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) runs onto the field before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Paycor Stadium. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Based on the contract that the Jets gave Ossai in March, they’re putting a ton of faith in the former Bengal to help transform their defense.

As we’ve highlighted in the other player profiles thus far, the Jets did not generate many sacks last season—26 to be exact (second-fewest in the league). It’s tough to win in the NFL when you can’t bring down the quarterback. This is where Ossai comes into play.

Ossai isn’t on the same level as Will McDonald IV, who had 8.5 sacks last year and 10 in 2024. However, we can say without question that he’s an upgrade over what the Jets got from the rest of their pass rushers last year and will be an instrumental cog, playing alongside David Bailey and McDonald.

In his last two seasons with the Bengals, Ossai had 27 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. He can put his hand in the dirt, but also stand up on the defensive line. With head coach Aaron Glenn running a multiple-defensive scheme, he’ll be able to play Ossai a ton and with a bunch of different guys.

Last season, Ossai started in a career-high nine games for the Bengals (appeared in 14) and played 67% of defensive snaps.

Joseph Ossai’s strengths and weaknesses

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) pressures Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) as he gets a pass off in the first quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 1 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Friday, Aug. 11, 2023. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

The former third-round pick is best known for his motor, run-stopping skills, and versatility. He played outside linebacker at the University of Texas and can be lined up in the interior of the defensive line.
While Ossai doesn’t possess overwhelming power, he can still push the pocket, thanks to his reach (33 7’8” arm length), which then forces the QB to step up and maybe allows someone on the defense to pick up the sack.

As for Ossai’s run defense stats, the veteran pass rusher had a 70.7 run grade (25th among qualified 115 edge rushers), per Pro Football Focus, which is what the Jets want to see. It’s a huge improvement over what they got from Jermaine Johnson II (58.2), who was sent to the Titans in the T’Vondre Sweat trade.

Regarding Ossai’s weaknesses, he must do a better job of wrapping up guys and bringing them down for tackles. Throughout his six-year career, the ex-Bengal has 19 missed tackles, with 10 of those coming last season. If you’re Glenn and defensive coordinator Brian Duker, you would like to see that number drop down to five or fewer.

Lastly, his health will be something to monitor as the Jets are paying him to be one of their top guys on the defensive line. Ossai missed his rookie season in 2021 due to a torn meniscus and has missed seven games over the last four years.

Ossai has only played a full season (17 games) once, which was in 2024. Last year, he suited up in 14 games (nine starts) but missed three games because of an ankle injury. 

What happens if Joseph Ossai gets hurt

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) reacts after a touchdown scored by Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) (not pictured) in the fourth quarter at Paycor Stadium. | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Knowing that the veteran defensive end has missed some time here and there, the Jets should be preparing for someone else to take over just in case. 

That someone could be Enagbare, who has a lot to prove on a one-year deal and is known as a solid run defender to start his career. And we saw what he could do last year when Green Bay gave him more reps for the underachieving Rashan Gary.

Also, depending on the play call or the situation, we could see more snaps for David Onyemata and Jowon Briggs, who can also line up at defensive end. That’s the great thing about playing a multiple-style defense; it allows you to mix and match across the front seven.

However, in a perfect world, the Jets would rather have a healthy Ossai for all 17 games, as it could set the tone for a defense that could have one of the more shocking turnarounds in 2026.

Why we ranked Joseph Ossai here

Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai (58) reacts as the Miami Dolphins called a timeout due to crowd noise in the first quarter at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. | Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images

Despite not having the accolades and/or production of a Bradley Chubb (three-year, $43.5 million) or Dre’Mont Jones (three-year, $36.5 million deal), who received similar deals in free agency to Ossai, the Jets are banking on him taking another step in his career.

Given that the Jets have a bunch of quality players spread across the defensive line, there’s no reason to think that Ossai couldn’t have a breakout year in New York. He’ll have one-on-one matchups because opposing offensive coordinators will be worried about double-teaming T’Vondre Sweat in the middle or McDonald on the other side.

That said, signing Ossai to a three-year deal is a gamble because if his ceiling is a solid run stopper and five sacks a season, that won’t be good enough. But sitting at No. 21 on our list of the 25 most important Jets tells us that he has room to move up next season, which wouldn’t be far-fetched.