Bengals News: Joseph Ossai, draft grades, and more
In Bengals news, Joseph Ossai had shoulder surgery earlier in the offseason. Also, what was the general consensus on the Bengals' 2023 draft?
Ossai missed his entire rookie season due to an injury he sustained in the preseason so fans were intrigued to see what he could bring to the defense in 2022. He played well for the most part and unfortunately, most people will remember him for the boneheaded play he made in the AFC Championship Game where he shoved Patrick Mahomes, who was already well out of bounds.
Ossai injured his knee in that game but that isn't the only injury he suffered in the 2022 season. Ossai reportedly had shoulder surgery in February and that'll take roughly four to five months to heal. That means that first-rounder Myles Murphy could end up passing him on the depth chart this summer.
#Bengals DE Joseph Ossai said he had shoulder surgery Feb. 8 to repair the labrum he tore in second meeting with Browns. It’s about a 4-5 month rehab, but the rest from that helped his hyperextended knee (from AFC Championship) heal.
— Laurel Pfahler (@LaurelPfahler) May 1, 2023
Speaking of Murphy and the Bengals' draft, how did people feel about it? For the most part, it feels as though people thought the organization did a good job with their eight picks. They spent the first two days finding defensive talent and then adding more weapons on offense on the third and final day of the draft.
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Joseph Ossai still recovering from shoulder surgery [Jason Garrison, Cincy Jungle]
"Ossai will miss 4-5 months as he rehabs from injury, which means he’ll at least miss the team’s offseason workout program, leaving the door open for Murphy to carve out a larger role early in the season."
- Jason Garrison
2023 NFL Draft team-by-team rankings: Best and worst classes, from 1 to 32 [Dane Brugler, The Athletic]
Cincinnati ended up 19th on Brugler's list. His favorite pick was second-rounder DJ Turner, who he notes has "elite speed". He pondered who would be the first member of this class to start a game other than sixth-round punter Brad Robbins, who many tab as the favorite to win the punting gig.
Brugler says that fifth-rounder Chase Brown is the Day 3 pick who could surprise the most. Brugler continued by saying that Brown could replace Samaje Perine's production, which would be a popular opinion in Cincinnati.
Next. Winners and Losers from Bengals 2023 Draft. dark
Way-Too-Early 2024 NFL Mock Draft: Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. land in Arizona, Colts grab Joe Alt [Max Chadwick, PFF]
Mock drafts created the day of that year's draft are to be taken with a grain of salt so any mock drafts already floating out there for 2024 should be taken even less seriously. In this PFF mock draft for 2024, the Bengals go with a safety to help shore up their secondary. For those wondering, this was made at pick 28 (the same as in this year's draft).