Cincinnati Bengals veteran will have short leash immediately heading into OTAs

The Cincinnati Bengals don’t have many EDGE rusher options, but one thing’s for sure. With the addition of Shemar Stewart, Joseph Ossai’s days could be numbered in the Queen City. Ossai wasn’t a particularly strong candidate to replace Trey Hendrickson, but the Bengals have shown they’d rather work with what they have than be active in finding a reasonable replacement. 

Hendrickson most likely won’t play for Cincinnati this year, either holding out for a new contract or awaiting his trade demand to be granted. That’s why the Bengals opted for Shemar Stewart with their first-round pick in a deep EDGE rusher class. 

If Stewart makes a big impression on the Bengals to start rookie mini camp – if he ever suits up – he could very well be taking Ossai’s spot. Last year, Ossai ranked as a middle-of-the-pack EDGE rusher. He ranked 126th out of 211 players, per Pro Football Focus. He finished with 27 solo tackles, five sacks and one forced fumble. 

The Bengals might be interested in keeping him for depth reasons, though they’ve been known to pinch pennies so he could become a salary cap casualty. 

Joseph Ossai could be out the door if Shemar Stewart makes a big impression in rookie mini camp, OTAs

I guess in order to see how impactful Stewart can be for the Bengals, he has to be signed first. The Bengals have yet to sign Stewart or Demetrius Knight Jr. to their rookie deals with rookie minicamp starting up. But assuming Stewart is signed in the coming days, the starting EDGE rusher position is his to lose, most likely. 

Cincinnati wouldn’t have drafted him in the first round if they didn’t think he would be a player who would start right away. They need that validated now before they make any decisions. If he catches the eye of new defensive coordinator Al Golden and head coach Zac Taylor, it would prove why the team took a gamble on him. 

That’s why Ossai is probably on a short leash with the squad. He was a decent complement to Hendrickson, but didn’t make enough of an impact to solidify his spot with the squad. Between now and the final preseason cut, the Bengals will be keeping a close eye on both players. 

They’ll need to trim their roster to 53 before Week 1. Meaning if Ossai doesn’t prove he’s ready to lead the defensive line then he could be omitted from the 53-man squad. If Stewart proves he can have a breakout rookie season, that could also cause the Bengals to part ways with Ossai. 

But if the two both show signs of potentially being elite together, the Bengals might have just solved their EDGE problem without needing Hendrickson.