- Two-time Pro Bowl selection (2017, '19 seasons) and was named All-AFC by the Professional Football Writers of America in each of those two seasons while earning All-Pro recognition last year from Sporting News.
- As a rookie in 2016, was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by The Associated Press and PFWA and was twice recognized as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month (October and December).
- Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week last year for his performance in the Week 8 win at Chicago — 12 tackles (eight solo), two sacks and six tackles for loss.
- Awarded Pepsi Rookie of the Week (Week 7 of 2016) in a fan vote, All-Rookie by PFWA and Chargers Co-Lineman of the Year in 2016.
- Registered 19 sacks in the first 20 games of his career, topping LB Aldon Smith (18.5) for the most in a player's first 20 career games in NFL history.
- Set single-season career highs in 2017 in tackles (99), solo stops (61), assisted tackles (38), sacks (12.5) and forced fumbles (four).
- Moved to No. 8 in Chargers history in career sacks with 40.0, passing DEs Burt Grossman and Chris Mimms (38.0 each).
- Last year, started all 16 games to post 92 tackles (59 solo), 11.5 sacks, a career-high 21.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
- Had at least 10 sacks in three of his first four seasons, trailing only DE Dwight Freeney, Hall of Fame LB Derrick Thomas and Hall of Fame DE Reggie White (all did so in each of their first four seasons).
- In 2017, combined with DE Melvin Ingram to total 23 sacks between them and rank as the No. 2 sack duo in the NFL.
- Last season, had three-straight multi-sack games, including back-to-back games with two-plus sacks, the first Charger to do so since LB Kevin Burnett in 2010.
- Became the first Chargers rookie since LB Shawne Merriman in 2005 (10.0 sacks) and just fifth in team history since 1982 to record double-digit sacks, joining Merriman, DE Chris Mims (1992), DE Burt Grossman (1989) and DE Leslie O'Neal (1986).
- Closed out his rookie season with at least a half-sack in each of the team's final six games, the longest stretch by a Charger since 2001.
PERSONAL: Given name Joseph Anthony Bosa…Nickname is 'Big Bear'…Born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. …Younger brother, Nick, played DE at Ohio State and was selected No. 2 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by San Francisco — winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors…Father, John, was a first-round selection of the Miami Dolphins in 1987 after playing collegiately at Boston College…Uncle, Eric Kumerow, lettered four years as a LB at Ohio State and went on to be selected by the Dolphins in the 1988 NFL Draft…Grandfather, Palmer Pyle Jr., played along the offensive line at Michigan State before being drafted by the Baltimore Colts…Great-uncle, Mike, played nine seasons as a C for the Chicago Bears…Cousin, Jake Kumerow, played in college at Division-III Wisconsin-Whitewater before spending the 2015 season on the practice squad of the Cincinnati Bengals and currently plays for Green Bay…In the 2019 offseason, visited the set of Game of Thrones, appearing in the show as an extra…Each Christmas Day, visits a Children's Hospital to spread holiday cheer and give gifts to patients…Enjoys cooking in his spare time, and learned to cook from his mother, Cheryl…Studied communications at Ohio State…High School: Two-time first-team All-State by The Associated Press at St. Thomas Aquinas High in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. …Earned All-America honors as a senior…Led the Raiders to two state titles in his tenure.
2019: Selected to his second Pro Bowl, but did not participate and was replaced by Los Angeles Chargers DE Melvin Ingram III…Named All-AFC (DE) by the Professional Football Writers of America and All-Pro (DE) by Sporting News…Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in a Week 8 win at Chicago: 12 tackles (eight solo), two sacks and six tackles for loss…Started all 16 games at DE, finishing second on the team with 92 tackles (59 solo)…Recorded his third career double-digit sack season with 11.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss…Added a forced fumble…Reached 40 career sacks, becoming the eighth player in history to do so in a Chargers uniform…Posted three-straight multi-sack games, including back-to-back games with two-plus sacks, the first Charger to do so since LB Kevin Burnett in 2010…Awards: Pro Bowl Selection (Second)…Professional Football Writers of America All-AFC (DE)…Sporting News All-Pro (DE)…AFC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 8)…Pro Football Focus Second-Team All-Pro (EDGE)…Pro Football Journal First-Team All-AFC (DE)…vs. Indianapolis (Sept. 8): Finished with 10 tackles (five solo), an eight-yard sack and a tackle for loss…Sped past T/G Graden Smith to bring QB Jacoby Brissett down for the sack late in the second quarter…at Detroit (Sept. 15): Recorded six tackles (four solo)…Ripped through a block by G Joe Dahl in the third quarter to combine with Melvin Ingram to stop RB Kerryon Johnson for no gain on third-and-two to force a punt…vs. Houston (Sept. 22): Totaled five tackles (three solo)…Posted 1.5 tackles for loss, including a half-sack with LB Thomas Davis Sr., that dropped the Texans for a nine-yard loss…Early in the game, forced QB Deshaun Watson to double-clutch his throw, resulting in a fumble recovered by DB Desmond King II…On the sack, sprinted by G/T Tytus Howard and RB Duke Johnson before dropping Watson with Davis on third-and-nine…at Miami (Sept. 29): Recorded a half-sack and finished with six tackles (three solo)…Beat blocks of TE Durham Smythe and T Isaiah Prince to split the sack with Desmond King at the end of the first half…Made his presence felt in the third quarter, forcing QB Josh Rosen to step up and scramble into a sack shared by Thomas Davis and DT Jerry Tillery…vs. Denver (Oct. 6): Played in the 40th game of his career…Finished with seven solo stops, a sack and two tackles for loss…On the sack, sprinted past G/T Elijah Wilkinson to spin QB Joe Flacco down for the six-yard loss…Beat Wilkinson earlier in the game to corral RB Phillip Lindsay for a three-yard loss on an off-tackle run…vs. Pittsburgh (Oct. 13): Recorded six tackles (four solo)…at Tennessee (Oct. 20): Posted 10 tackles (six solo), including a pair of sacks that totaled 17 yards…Forced a fumble…Had a strip-sack in the third quarter, spinning out of a block by T Taylor Lewan to hit a scrambling QB Ryan Tannehill from behind to force the fumble…Had another sack later in the third quarter, using a swim move to get by G Jamil Douglas to spin Tannehill down on third-and-six, forcing a Titans punt…at Chicago (Oct. 27): Named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance…Set a season high with 12 tackles (eight solo), two sacks and six tackles for loss…Registered the second game with two-plus sacks in as many weeks, becoming the first Charger since Kevin Burnett in 2010 to do so…Utilized a speed rush around the edge of OL Bobby Massie to drop QB Mitchell Trubisky for a seven-yard sack on third-and-11…Played a read-option perfectly in the first quarter, tackling Trubisky for a one-yard loss…Sacked Trubisky again in the fourth quarter by sprinting by Massie…vs. Green Bay (Nov. 3): Extended his streak of multi-sack games to three-straight, finishing with three tackles (two solo) and the 1.5 tackles for loss…The sacks marked the first of his career of QB Aaron Rodgers…On his full sack, ripped through the block of T David Bakhtiari on an inside move to drop Rodgers for a nine-yard loss…Sped past Bakhtiari again in the third quarter to split a sack with Melvin Ingram…at Oakland (Nov. 7): Saw his streak of games with a sack come to an end…Recorded three tackles (two solo) and a tackle for loss…vs. Kansas City (Estadio Azteca, Nov. 18): Posted three tackles (two solo)…at Denver (Dec. 1): Assisted on a pair of tackles…at Jacksonville (Dec. 8): Recorded two sacks and three tackles for loss, finishing with five tackles (three solo)…The two sacks moved him into sole possession of No. 8 on the team's all-time sacks list…In the first half, drove OL Cam Robinson back before shedding the block and wrapping up QB Gardner Minshew II for a four-yard sack…Pulled an outside move on Robinson in the second half, chasing Minshew down for a sack from behind after Minshew was prevented from scrambling by DT Justin Jones…vs. Minnesota (Dec. 15): Registered five solo tackles and a tackle for loss…vs. Oakland (Dec. 22): Posted six tackles (four solo), a nine-yard sack and two tackles for loss…The sack gave him 40 for his career, the eighth Charger in history to eclipse that mark…Used a swim move to get by T Kolton Miller in the second quarter to drag down QB Derek Carr for an eight-yard sack…In the second half, fought through the block of Miller to drop RB DeAndré Washington for a two-yard loss…at Kansas City (Dec. 29): Finished with three tackles (one solo)…Forced QB Patrick Mahomes to his right, resulting in an INT by CB Michael Davis.
2018: Appeared in seven games with six starts at DE…Missed the first nine games due to injury…Posted 24 tackles (19 solo), 5.5 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery…Passed LB Billy Ray Smith (26.5) for 10th on the team's all-time sacks list…Finished the regular season with 28.5 career sacks, passing DE Chris Mims (28.0) for the second-most sacks by a Charger over his first three seasons…Started both postseason games at DE, totaling three tackles (two solo), a tackle for loss and a six-yard sack…vs. Kansas City (Sept. 9): Inactive (foot)…vs. Denver (Nov. 18): Made his season debut, registering a solo tackle…Made his presence felt in the first quarter, sprinting untouched off the edge to force QB Case Keenum to roll to his right and throw the ball away…Nearly sacked Keenum in the fourth quarter after powering past T Garett Bolles on third-and-two to force a Denver punt…vs. Arizona (Nov. 25): Started at DE for the first time in 2018…Finished with five tackles (four solo), two tackles for loss and two sacks…Recorded his first sack in the second quarter after powering past OL Andre Smith to bring down QB Josh Rosen for an 11-yard sack…Got to Rosen for the second time for a seven-yard loss after beating Smith with a speed rush in the fourth quarter…at Pittsburgh (Dec. 2): Posted a season-high six tackles (four solo), including a 10-yard sack early in the fourth quarter…On the play, pulled an inside spin-move on T Matt Feiler to get into the backfield and bring down QB Ben Roethlisberger…Opened the game at DE…vs. Cincinnati (Dec. 9): Registered six solo stops, including a 10-yard sack, after starting at DE…Moved past Billy Ray Smith for No. 10 in career sacks in team annals by beating the chip blocks of RB Joe Mixon and T Bobby Hart to bring down QB Jeff Driskel…at Kansas City (Dec. 13): Opened the game at DE…Finished with a solo stop…vs. Baltimore (Dec. 22): Posted two tackles (one solo), including a half-sack and 1.5 tackles for loss…Split a one-yard sack with DT Darius Philon after QB Lamar Jackson was forced to scramble due to pressure from DE Melvin Ingram III…Slipped into the backfield by G/C Matt Skura in the fourth quarter to bring down RB Kenneth Dixon for a two-yard loss…Started at DE…at Denver (Dec. 30): Opened the game at DE…Registered three tackles (two solo), including two tackles for loss and a four-yard sack…Recovered a fumble…Forced a Denver field goal at the end of the first half by sprinting around T Jared Veldheer to bring down QB Case Keenum…Dropped Keenum for a four-yard loss on an aborted snap in the third quarter for his second tackle for loss on the day…Recovered a fumble that was forced by S Adrian Phillips stripping WR Tim Patrick midway through the third quarter…at Baltimore (AFC Wild Card, Jan. 6): Part of a defense that set team postseason records for the fewest single-game net yards allowed (229), including a record 69 in the first half, which was the fewest allowed in a postseason game since the 2006 AFC Wild Card…Contributed on a pass rush that tied a team postseason record with seven sacks on the day…Recorded two solo tackles, a tackle for loss and a six-yard sack…On the play, lined up over G/T James Hurst, overpowering him to chase down Lamar Jackson to force a punt…Made his career postseason debut, starting at DE…at New England (AFC Divisional, Jan. 13): Participated on 69 plays on defense and assisted on a tackle.
2017: Selected to his first Pro Bowl, but did not participate and was replaced by Los Angeles Chargers DE Melvin Ingram…Named All-AFC (DE) by the Professional Football Writers of America…Started all 16 contests at DE…Led the team with 99 tackles (61 solo), including 17.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks…Totaled the most sacks (19.0) in a player's first 20 career games since the sack became an official statistic in 1982, passing LB Aldon Smith (18.5)…Brought his career total to 23 sacks, moving past DT Shawn Lee, DE Marcellus Wiley and DT Corey Liuget for sole possession of 12th in team annals…His 12.5 sacks ranked second in the AFC and No. 7 in the NFL in 2017…Posted four games with a strip-sack, including back-to-back games (Weeks 5 and 6)…Part of a defensive unit that ranked tied for fifth in the NFL with 43 sacks…Combined with Ingram (10.5 sacks), was the No. 2 sack duo in the NFL with 23 sacks between the two of them…Awards: Pro Bowl Selection (First)…Professional Football Writers of America All-AFC (DE)…Pro Football Journal Second-Team All-AFC (DE)…at Denver (Sept. 11): Started at DE and posted six tackles (three solo), registering 1.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks…The 1.5 sacks tied with Melvin Ingram for a game high…It marked his seventh-consecutive game with at least a half-sack…Brought down QB Trevor Siemian in the first quarter for his first sack of the season after powering past T Menelik Watson…In the fourth quarter, split a sack of Siemian with Ingram to force third-and-13…vs. Miami (Sept. 17): Opened the game at DE, registering six tackles (five solo) and a tackle for loss…Saw his streak of seven games with at least a half-sack come to an end…vs. Kansas City (Sept. 24): Posted a season-high nine tackles (four solo), including a six-yard sack of QB Alex Smith on third-and-seven…Got past G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif with a swim move to get to Smith, who was forced up in the pocket by OLB Nigel Harris…vs. Philadelphia (Oct. 1): Made the 15th start of his career…Registered seven tackles (three solo)…at New York Giants (Oct. 8): Tied a career high with two sacks, including a strip-sack of QB Eli Manning for his first forced fumble of the season…Pushed back T Bobby Hart and G John Jerry to collapse the pocket before swatting the football out of Manning's hand to force the fumble…Totaled eight tackles (six solo), two sacks, three tackles for loss and the forced fumble…at Oakland (Oct. 15): Registered his second strip-sack in as many weeks, powering past T Marshall Newhouse on third-and-11 to knock the ball out of the hands of QB Derek Carr…Brought his season total to 5.5 sacks and marked the 16th sack of his career…Finished with five tackles (three solo), a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble…vs. Denver (Oct. 22): Surpassed 90 career tackles and 18.0 career sacks, totaling five tackles (two solo), two sacks, two tackles for loss and a pass defensed…The two sacks matched a career high…On the first sack, beat a cut-block from T Garrett Bolles to spin QB Trevor Siemian down from behind for a one-yard loss…Later in the third quarter, beat T Allen Barbre around the edge to deflect Siemian's throw, nearly resulting in an INT…Posted his second sack of the day after speeding past Barbre for a five-yard loss in the fourth quarter…at New England (Oct. 29): Started at DE, marking the 20th game played of his career…Totaled five tackles (four solo) two tackles for loss and a sack…The sack marked No. 19 of his career, passing Aldon Smith (18.5) for the most in a player's first 20 career games since the sack became an official statistic in 1982…On the play, powered past T Marcus Cannon to spin QB Tom Brady down for a nine-yard loss…In the fourth quarter, forced Brady to roll to his right before DT Darius Philon registered a seven-yard sack…at Jacksonville (Nov. 12): Made the 20th start of his career, opening the game at DE…Posted six tackles (five solo), a six-yard sack, a tackle for loss and a pass defensed…The sack marked No. 20 for his career, moving him into sole possession of 16th on the Chargers all-time sacks list…In the third quarter, applied pressure with Melvin Ingram on QB Blake Bortles before corralling him for the sack…Later on, forced Bortles to throw under duress off of his back foot on third down resulting in an INT by S Tre Boston…vs. Buffalo (Nov. 19): Posted a strip-sack of QB Tyrod Taylor in the third quarter that was recovered by Melvin Ingram for a 39-yard TD…Pulled a swim-move on T Jordan Mills to reach Taylor for the strip-sack on fourth-and-four, marking his sixth-straight game with a sack…The sack brought his season total to 10.5, matching the output of his rookie season in 2016…It marked the 21st sack of his career, moving into a tie for 15th in team annals with Corey Liuget…Applied pressure or had a QB hit on each of the INTs thrown by QB Nathan Peterman in the first half…Provided a block for ILB Korey Toomer on his 59-yard pick-six in the first quarter….at Dallas (Nov. 23): Finished with six tackles (four solo)…Saw his six-game sack streak come to an end…In the first quarter, collapsed the pocket with Melvin Ingram to force QB Dak Prescott to step up into a sack by Corey Liuget…Ran a stunt with Liuget in the third quarter to chase Prescott out of the pocket and force him to throw the ball out of bounds…Coupled with Ingram, forced Prescott to roll to his left and throw a pass intended for WR Cole Beasley that was picked off by CB Desmond King and returned 90 yards for a TD…vs. Cleveland (Dec. 3): Recorded seven solo tackles, including three tackles for loss and a five-yard sack in the fourth quarter when he forced a fumble…Registered a strip-sack in the fourth quarter, chasing down QB DeShone Kizer as he scrambled to his left to force the fumble that was recovered by ILB Denzel Perryman…vs. Washington (Dec. 10): Posted four tackles (two solo) on 36 defensive plays after opening the game at DE…at Kansas City (Dec. 16): Started at DE for the 25th time in his career and played 58 snaps on defense…Registered seven tackles (four solo)…at New York Jets (Dec. 24): Posted seven tackles (four solo)…Applied pressure with Darius Philon and DE Isaac Rochell late in the second quarter to collapse the pocket as Rochell recorded the first sack of his career…vs. Oakland (Dec. 31): Finished with nine tackles (four solo), a sack, a tackle for loss and a fumble recovery…Powered through a double-team by T David Sharpe and G Kelechi Osemele to bring down QB Derek Carr for a six-yard sack…Recovered a Carr fumble forced by Darius Philon on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter.
2016: Named Defensive Rookie of the Year by The Associated Press and the Professional Football Writers of America…Recognized as All-Rookie (DL) by the PFWA…Earned Chargers Co-Lineman of the Year honors…Named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for October…For the month, recorded 13 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks…Recognized as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month for December…Registered 27 tackles, nine tackles for loss and six sacks over the season's final month…Became the first player since DE Dwight Freeney in 2002 to win multiple Defensive Rookie of the Month awards…Voted by fans as the Pepsi Rookie of the Week for his efforts in a Week 7 overtime win at Atlanta: Four tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss…Appeared in 12 games with 11 starts…Missed the season opener on the roster exemption list and was inactive for the next three contests with a hamstring injury…Finished with 48 tackles (33 solo), 10.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss…Broke up two passes and forced a fumble…His team-high 10.5 sacks led all rookies and were the most by a rookie since 2011…Became the first Chargers rookie since LB Shawne Merriman in 2005 (10.0 sacks) and just fifth in team history since 1982 to record double-digit sacks, joining Merriman, DE Chris Mims (1992), DE Burt Grossman (1989) and DE Leslie O'Neal (1986)…Ended the season with at least a half-sack in each of the team's final six games, the longest stretch by a Charger since DE Marcellus Wiley posted sacks in seven-straight contests to open the 2001 season…Awards: Selected as a fourth-alternate for the Pro Bowl…The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year…Professional Football Writers of America Defensive Rookie of the Year…PFWA All-Rookie (DL)…Chargers Co-Lineman of the Year…Defensive Rookie of the Month (October and December)…Pepsi Rookie of the Week (Week 7)…ESPN Defensive Rookie of the Year…Sports Illustrated Defensive Rookie of the Year…Pro Football Talk Defensive Rookie of the Year…Pro Football Journal First-Team All-Rookie (DE)…Mel Kiper Defensive Rookie of the Year…Mel Kiper First-Team All-Rookie (DE)…vs. Jacksonville (Sept. 18): Inactive (hamstring)…at Oakland (Oct. 9): Made his NFL debut, totaling five tackles and two sacks…Became just the fifth player since realignment in 2002 to record two sacks in his NFL debut…Recorded a 12-yard sack late in the first half and a four-yard sack late in the fourth quarter…Led the defensive line with five tackles and three tackles for loss…vs. Denver (Oct. 13): Made the first start of his career at DE…at Atlanta (Oct. 23): Named Pepsi Rookie of the Week following a fan vote…Posted two sacks on back-to-back drives in the second half…Corralled QB Matt Ryan for a seven-yard sack on the last play of the third quarter to force a punt…Registered a three-yard sack on second down of the next series to help force a field goal attempt…Became the first player since LB Elvis Dumervil (2006) and the first Charger since sacks became an official stat in 1982 to log two two-sack performances in his first three NFL games…at Denver (Oct. 30): Forced a fumble of QB Trevor Siemian as he was being sacked by OLB Melvin Ingram…Registered a two-yard tackle for loss on second-and-goal to help force a field goal try late in the fourth quarter…at Houston (Nov. 27): Recorded six tackles, four tackles for loss and shared a seven-yard sack…Pressured QB Brock Osweiler that resulted in an INT by CB Casey Hayward…Stopped a scrambling Osweiler with a shoestring tackle in the fourth quarter on third-and-10 that led to a turnover on downs…vs. Tampa Bay (Dec. 4): Registered a 12-yard sack of QB Jameis Winston…at Carolina (Dec. 11): Exited with a neck injury and did not return after sacking QB Cam Newton for a seven-yard loss…vs. Oakland (Dec. 18): Recorded a six-yard sack on second-and-10 in the second quarter to help force a three-and-out…It marked his third sack of QB Derek Carr of the season…at Cleveland (Dec. 24): Tallied two sacks and two tackles for loss…One of the sacks went for an 11-yard loss on the final play of the first half…vs. Kansas City (Jan. 1): Recorded the team's lone sack…Led the team with four tackles for loss…Made two tackles for loss and registered a two-yard sack in a five-play sequence on the game's opening drive.
COLLEGE: Played three seasons (2013-15) at Ohio State…Finished his career with 150 tackles, 50 tackles for loss, 26 sacks and five forced fumbles…Won the 2014 National Championship with the Buckeyes in the first-ever College Football Playoff…Twice earned first-team All-America, first-team All-Big Ten and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors, each as a junior and senior…As a sophomore, won the Nagurski-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year…Named Big Ten and Athlon Defensive Player of the Week after sacking QB Christian Hackenberg on fourth down to seal a double-overtime win…In 2013, was recognized by Sporting News and College Football News as a Freshman All-American…Earned honorable mention All-Big Ten and was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after two sacks and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a TD on the final play of a 10-point win over Northwestern.
2016: Selected by San Diego Chargers in the first round (third overall) of NFL Draft, April 28…Signed rookie contract, Aug. 29…Given exempt status by Commissioner, Aug. 29…Activated from exempt status, Sept. 12.
2019: Had fifth-year team option exercised on rookie contract by Los Angeles Chargers, April 23.
2020: Signed contract extension, Aug. 1.
