Mazi Smith is the only known entity signed to play DT for the Cowboys in 2025. That’s a problem.
While they have plenty of work to do across the roster this offseason, the Dallas Cowboys will need to give defensive tackle a sizeable amount of attention. Arguably their top 2025 free agent comes from the position, and others with expiring contracts would wipe out its depth without good replacements. We’ll talk about the big men in the middle of the defense in this offseason preview.
Under Contract
Mazi Smith, Justin Rogers, Denzel Daxon
Earnest Brown
Potential Departures
Osa Odighizuwa, Linval Joseph, Carlos Watkins
While he’s not as well-known a name around the NFL as the likes of Zack Martin, DeMarcus Lawrence, Eric Kendricks, or even Linval Joseph at his own position, Osa Odighizuwa is Dallas’ premier free agent this year. Unlike the now-retired Martin or those veterans, Odighizuwa is just beginning his NFL prime as his rookie deal expires. With career highs across the board in 2024, and having never missed a game in his four seasons, Odighizuwa approaches free agency with momentum and an assumed strong market for his services.
Because he hasn’t yet been recognized as an All-Pro or Pro Bowler, Odighizuwa’s stock isn’t as high as it could be. It’s also why the Cowboys might not want to use the franchise tag, estimated at around $24-$25 million for DTs this year, to keep him. Dallas would likely pursue a long-term deal that allows for much more maneuvering of the salary cap hits, assuming they’re going to try to bring him back at all.
Mentioned earlier, Linval Joseph and Carlos Watkins are also free agents this March. They were the core depth behind Odighizuwa and Mazi Smith last year and their departures would only exacerbate DT as an offseason concern. Joseph feels unlikely to return given Mike Zimmer’s exit, who was a key reason he signed last year. Watkins, for whom 2024 was actually his second stop in Dallas, could be back on a minimal deal.
Right now, Smith is the only real asset signed up for next season. That’s a loaded statement given his debatable value, having yet to show up as a former first-round pick. This is just his third season, though, so there’s still plenty of room for hope in his development. This will also be his third defensive coordinator and DL coach in as many years, though, so that could stunt growth.
The other DTs under contract are all little-known project players. Justin Rogers was a seventh-round pick last year who signed with the Bengals practice squad after Dallas released him in August. The Cowboys poached him last December to get him back in the family. Denzel Daxon spent last year on Dallas’ practice squad as an undrafted rookie. Earnest Brown was a 2021 fifth-round pick who’s bounced around the league and was just added to Dallas’ roster last month.
Free Agency
If the Cowboys are going to do something big here in free agency, it’s probably re-signing Odighizuwa over signing someone new. He’s generally considered one of the options on the market, with only Philadelphia’s Milton Williams consistently ranked above him. Coincidentally, Williams was taken just two spots ahead of Odighizuwa in the third round of the 2021 draft.
Dallas doesn’t want to go into next season with Mazi Smith as the best DT on the roster, so they should be highly motivated to make a big move here. While we’d love to see them go after a top WR, they already have one with CeeDee Lamb. They even have a potential WR2 in Jalen Tolbert. While they’ll be hurting for running backs this offseason, you feel a lot better about plugging a rookie into that spot than at defensive tackle. So that’s why if the Cowboys are going to spend big somewhere, it’s probably here.
The one big move aside, Dallas will likely also bring in a couple of veterans for depth and competition. Carlos Watkins could easily be re-signed, but Matt Eberflus’ arrival as DC could also put some new options on the team’s radar. One guy to look out for is Byron Cowart, who started seven games for the Bears last year and could be a solid rotation piece.
2025 NFL Draft
If Dallas does hold back in free agency, it may be because there’s a loaded DT group in this year’s draft class. At any point in the first few rounds, the Cowboys should have someone worthy of the pick among the upper-tier prospects. Mason Graham probably isn’t falling to #12, but the next group features multiple options like Derrick Harmon, Kenneth Grant, Walter Nolen, and Tyleik Williams. The Cowboys might trade down to snag one of those guys and some additional draft capital, or wait to see which of them probably falls to the 44th pick.
Dallas could easily take two DTs in this draft, one early to replace Odighizuwa and another in the fifth round for depth. We’ll have a better sense of their need after prime free agency. If they only franchise Odighizuwa without designs on a long-term deal, they could still be looking to draft a DT high to either replace him or Mazi Smith in 2026.
Final Thoughts
Clearly, defensive tackle has to be one of the Cowboys’ top offseason priorities. We’ve seen how all of the flashy sacks and turnovers can be neutered by the inability to hold up in the middle. Even if Smith has a breakout season, you still need someone to play next to him. Either retaining or replacing Odighizuwa is arguably Dallas’ biggest offseason task.
In fairness, there are better DTs out there than Odighizuwa. He’s very good on the scale of who’s come through Dallas over the last 20 years, but it’s been a long time since the days of Jay Ratliff or La’Roi Glover. The Cowboys generally don’t like paying market value, let alone overpaying, and they might feel that way quickly depending on Odighizuwa’s asking price. If they don’t see him as a true elite, they’re not going to pay elite money to keep him.
Dallas’ decision here really set the table for the rest of their offseason. If they spend big on Odighizuwa or another free agent DT, they’ll be more likely to focus on WR and RB with those early-round draft picks. As an internal free agent, Odighizuwa’s future could be decided before the market opens on March 12th. Teams have until March 4th to use the franchise tag, so we’ll see what we’re dealing with soon.
