The defensive tackle is set to hit free agency coming off a career year.
The Dallas Cowboys have a long list of free agents who will officially hit the open market in a little over two months. Of the sixteen, many were significant contributors in 2024, meaning the Cowboys have some difficult decisions ahead of them in the next two months.
Today, in our free agent profile series, we take a look at an impending free agent. It’s a player who was one of the Cowboys’ best performers this season, defensive tackle, Osa Odighizuwa.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
2024 Regular Season Stats: 17G, 60 total pressures, 39 QB Hurries, 14 QB Hits, 7.0 Sacks, 30 Stops, 78.5 Pass-Rush Grade, 1 Forced Fumble
Year Review: Osa Odighizuwa put together the most complete season of his career this year, sustaining consistently solid play throughout the entirety of the 17-game regular season. The former third-rounder picked the perfect time for a career year, recording career-highs in total pressures, quarterback hurries/hits, and sacks.
Odighizuwa ended up finishing in the top five among all defensive tackles in those three categories, including being third in the league with his 60 total pressures. The 26-year-old had at least four pressures in nine games, and finished the season playing his best ball of the year, recording 32 total pressures over Dallas’ last seven regular season games.
Odighizuwa fully displayed how disruptive he can be, proving to be one of the best pass-rushing defensive tackles in all of football. This season could not have come at a better time for the 26-year-old as he’s set to hit free agency this March and will be one of the hottest commodities on the open market.
Free Agency Outlook: After the year he had, Odighizuwa has a lot of things going for him One of the most impactful may be the lack of difference-makers at defensive tackle in this year’s free agency class. You could make a solid argument that Odighizuwa is the most productive player at the position set to hit free agency this March.
Last offseason, Christian Wilkins signed the largest deal for a defensive tackle in free agency, agreeing to a four-year, $110M contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. Odighizuwa’s contract-year performance is comparable to what Wilkins did before entering free agency after the 2023 season, but it’s hard to see a team offering him a contract worth over $27M a year annually.
The next two biggest deals signed by defensive tackles last offseason were Grover Stewart returning to the Colts on a three-year, $39M deal and Justin Jones going to Arizona for three years, $31M. Stewart is primarily a run-stopping defensive tackle, but Jones is a very comparable player to Odighizuwa. Jones was 27 when he signed his free-agent deal, meaning Odighizuwa will be almost a full year younger with even better contract year statistics.
It’s safe to assume Odighizuwa will want to surpass the deals both Jones and Stewart signed, and with the lack of talent at the position group in free agency he should be a lock to do so. If a team really needs a defensive tackle, they may be willing to offer Odighizuwa a three or four-year deal worth anywhere from $13-16M annually.
Cowboys Verdict: You could make a very solid argument that retaining Osa Odighizuwa should be Dallas’ number one priority this offseason. If the Cowboys were to let the 26-year-old walk, their defensive tackle group would be by far the worst in the NFL.
With all the needs elsewhere on the roster, Dallas cannot afford to once again completely overhaul the defensive tackle position. If they were to bring Odighizuwa back, the Cowboys could focus on pairing him with a cheaper, run-stopping defensive tackle in free agency instead of being forced to spend a premium draft pick on the position.
Dallas has the cap space, so no matter the cost they should focus on locking Odighizuwa up before he’s able to hit free agency and potentially get an offer the Cowboys could not match.
Prediction: Osa Odighizuwa signs a four-year, $56M contract with the Dallas Cowboys
