Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images 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

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Micah Parsons feels like 2025 is the year for Dallas. The Dallas Cowboys won’t be participating in the postseason for the first time since 2020. However, per usual, it doesn’t stop people from talking about the organization, and All-Pro Micah Parsons has made headlines this week. First, he made a pitch to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill to join the Cowboys next season. Speaking of the 2025 campaign, Parsons made an extremely bold prediction for what next year will look like for Dallas. He stated that the Cowboys would win the Super Bowl. Powerful: Micah Parsons says that the Cowboys will win the Super Bowl next season: “It’s gonna be an amazing, amazing, amazing thing to see next year when we are holding the trophy… we’re gonna be holding a trophy up next year, point blank, period.” pic.twitter.com/fKHH4CTNKJ — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) January 8, 2025 Now, that’s certainly a statement to make. The Cowboys have five Super Bowl titles, which are tied with the San Francisco 49ers for the second-most all-time. They haven’t won a championship since the 1995 season, though. In fact, the NFC Championship Game has avoided them ever since their last title as well, with the second round being their maximum destination. As things stand, Dallas has a lot to figure out before next season. As usual, they won’t be big players in free agency. So, that means that in-house free agents like cornerback Jourdan Lewis and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa will be of the utmost importance. There’s also the future of head coach Mike McCarthy since his deal is up. Then, there’s the NFL draft, which is the most important aspect of what the Cowboys do in terms of team building. They’ll have to hit on most of those picks because they’ll be required to contribute early with Dallas not adding much to the roster in any other avenue. All of this makes what Parsons said seem extremely farfetched. Whatever the outcome is for next season, it’ll be entertaining when it comes to the Cowboys.

Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. What Cowboys’ denial of Bears’ interview request indicates for Mike McCarthy, Jerry Jones – David Moore, DMN Insiders deny any friction between Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy. Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy sat down to talk Tuesday. Later in the day, the Cowboys denied Chicago’s request to interview McCarthy for its head coaching vacancy. The two are related, based on what two people with knowledge of the impending discussions told The Dallas Morning News after the Bears made their request. […] If the Cowboys had granted permission immediately, it would have been a signal to McCarthy that Jones wasn’t committed to bringing him back. It would have been ushering the veteran coach to the exit ramp. If McCarthy had asked to speak to Chicago, it would have been an indication to Jones that the coach wasn’t committed to staying or was angling to use the Bears as a bargaining chip for more money. […] For all of the noise and speculation that swirls outside of the organization, one person after another at The Star attests to the strong relationship that Jones and McCarthy have forged in their five years together. Denying Chicago’s request isn’t a guarantee that McCarthy will return, but it’s an indication that both men are continuing the discussion to see if that can happen. Mike McCarthy contract: Adam Schefter updates talks with Cowboys after Bears interview denied – Nick Schultz, On3.com The coaching decision delay may mean talks are in the works. With six days to go in the exclusive negotiating window, all eyes are on what the Dallas Cowboys decide on Mike McCarthy’s future. He coached this season in the final year of his contract, and the spotlight grew even bigger after the franchise denied the Chicago Bears’ request to interview him for their head coach position. ESPN’s Adam Schefter provided an update on where things stand, and the sense seems to be the two sides aren’t close on a new agreement yet. However, he pointed to a couple examples to show why the Cowboys could be waiting to get McCarthy’s deal in place. Dallas took its time getting deals together for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb ahead of the 2024 season. Schefter indicated that could happen again with McCarthy’s deal before teams can interview him without permission from the Cowboys. “It doesn’t sound like he’s any closer to a deal with the Dallas Cowboys currently, but we’ve seen the Dallas Cowboys always wait until the last minute on these types of deals,” Schefter said on NFL Live. “Go back to the start of the regular season, Dak Prescott signs on the day the regular season kicks off. CeeDee Lamb [signed] late in the summer. “Usually, these situations seem to linger until there is some sort of artificial deadline. With Mike McCarthy being able to interview next week after Jan. 14, I would think at some time here, in the next couple of days, the Dallas Cowboys would step forward to see whether or not there is a solution for both sides to figure out whether Mike McCarthy can stay in [Dallas].” Mailbag: Health and future of Lawrence? – Mickey Spagnola & Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com One of Dallas’ top defenders may now be facing an uncertain future. I haven’t heard much about the health and future of DeMarcus Lawrence. Do you have any insight on what’s going on with him and the Cowboys? – Anthony Cardamoni/Eatontown, NJ Mickey: Saw Tank in the locker room on Monday when the players were going through their exit physicals and final team meeting. Didn’t want to talk about his future. But I’m told his foot injury (Lis Franc) was a wee bit shy of having surgery. Since he didn’t, think if there was something of significance on the line late in the season, he might have been able to return. Since there wasn’t in the end, no sense chancing going out there, especially since he’s in the final year of his contract and reaching unrestricted free agency. Remember he was asked a month or so ago if he wanted to continue playing and his answer was, somewhat tongue in cheek with a big smile on his face, saying, “Depends on how much they want to pay me.” While D-Law has played 11seasons in the NFL, he only turns 33 in April. Despite only playing four games in 2024, his three sacks ranked sixth on the team. Right situation, right money, he just might return. Tommy: From the get-go with Lawrence back in Week 4 when he sustained his injury, it was clear from Mike McCarthy and Stephen Jones that it would sideline him for quite some time. That ended up being the whole season, which I interpreted as an opportunity for him to use the offseason as an extended period to get fully healthy. He’s an unrestricted, 32 year old free agent heading into his 12th NFL season, so that additional time to heal is valuable in my opinion. Whether he returns to the Cowboys or not, that’ll be crucial for him. And when we’ve seen him briefly working with the rehab group at practice, he still looks as athletic as ever. Report: Dallas Cowboys did head coach work ‘behind the scenes’ over last few weeks – RJ Ochoa, BloggingTheBoys.com No clear decision has been made, but it seems head coaching work has been done. It is the third official day of the offseason for the Dallas Cowboys and it feels like the 500th. The 2024 campaign came to a merciful end on Sunday afternoon for Dallas, and in the time since they have seen many of their fellow NFL teams begin the process of reconstructing their organizations in the hopes of not suffering a similar fate in the future. The Cowboys have not so far. Following the game Jerry noted that he had not made a decision on Mike McCarthy. One day later, Monday to be

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images How do you think the Dallas Cowboys rookie class fared this season? The Dallas Cowboys season is officially over and now it’s time to get to work on the 2025 season. From coaches to veterans, and even the rookies, are all about to get deeply examined as the team prepares for a huge overhaul this offseason. Here on Blogging The Boys we analyzed the rookies after each game and previewed the class before each upcoming contest. Here’s a review of each rookie from the full season. OT Tyler Guyton It was a tough start for the man-mountain out of Oklahoma, which ended poorly, allowing a sack and getting two penalties in the final game against Washington. That performance led to him getting pulled from the game. Rookie offensive linemen do take time to develop and throughout the year there were glimmers of hope from Guyton, who looked to be taking steps forward to getting better, only to fall apart the next week. From this year’s offensive tackle class, Guyton finished seventh in total pressures and third in total sacks allowed, so it’s not a complete mess. What he did lead in, however, was penalties where he nearly doubled the amount of the second place rookie tackle. We wrote during the offseason that Guyton came with question marks in a “Buyers Beware” article. The reason for the questions was simple, snap count and playing right tackle. Perhaps the Cowboys draft a new left tackle and move Guyton to the right side. Or they allow him to play through his growing pains at left tackle. DE Marshawn Kneeland Kneeland came in with a lot excitement and expectation. Some likened the Western Michigan pass rusher to DeMarcus Lawrence and as things kicked off he did have flashes similar to that of the Cowboys veteran. What we ended up with was a season performance that was inconsistent and disjointed because of injury. He missed a good portion of the middle of the season. He finished the year registering zero sacks, only two tackles for loss and 11 total tackles. The highlight of the year for Kneeland was a fumble recovery he made against Carolina. C Cooper Beebe During a season riddled with injuries, Cooper Beebe was one constant that remained on offense and started in all 17 games. On 692 passing sets, Beebe allowed only three sacks and 18 pressures, both of which was less than Zack Martin. We did see a couple of moments where Beebe had an errant snap from shotgun, but generally he was solid. The majority of his work this offseason he needs to concentrate on run blocking. He was inconsistent throughout the year in this department, but he has become a solid starter on the line. LB Marist Liufau Marist Liufau has been of the most entertaining watches this year. He was quietly working and stayed prepared, then once DeMarvion Overshown went out for the year, Liufau was thrust into a more prominent role. What we saw was a defensive playmaker who attacked the ball with lethal execution. Was it all perfect and polished? Definitely not, but the foundation he’s set for next year should give Cowboys fans a lot to be enthusiastic about. CB Caelen Carson DaRon Bland started the season injured which meant the rookie cornerback had to step up to the plate. It was a tall order to begin with but clearly the pressure and talent level had reached it limit for the young cornerback. Each week the opposing quarterback came in with the same game plan as the previous, target whoever Carson was covering. Carson ended the year with the second-lowest defensive grade on the team (Andrew Booth being the worst), and allowed the second-highest passer rating among Cowboys cornerbacks. WR Ryan Flournoy Ryan Flournoy gave fans some excitement with his speed and burst. The start of the year was fairly quiet for the wide receiver but as the season drew on we saw Flournoy begin to make plays. Against Tampa Bay in a thrilling victory, Flournoy made three good catches for 41 yards and was beginning to show some chemistry with Copper Rush. Against Washington in the final week where C.J. Goodwin recovered the fumbled punt, it was Flournoy that made the smart play of running the Commanders player into Jamison Crowder to force the muffed catch. The hope is Flournoy can develop this offseason to become something more than just a special teams player. TE Brevyn Spann-Ford Ford had moments this year when Jake Ferguson was out with injury. His best game came against Houston where he caught four passes for 42 yards. But the majority of his work on offense was used as an extra blocker. It should be of no surprise that when Jake Ferguson came back and Ford was used mostly as a run blocker we saw Rico Dowdle suddenly become a viable running back. This isn’t to say Ford was the reason for Dowdle’s success, but he certainly helped.

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Round and round we go with the Cowboys. As the 2024 regular-season fades from view, the Dallas Cowboys are already embarking on their 2025 offseason journey. Soon free agency will come, followed by the draft, and we will have new players to talk about, and hope will be renewed. Before that happens though, the Cowboys need to decide on their head coach. Jerry Jones recently denied permission for Mike McCarthy to interview with the Chicago Bears. That should be a big indication that McCarthy is the lead horse in the race to win the Cowboys 2025 head coaching job. The problem with that is that many Cowboys fans are looking for a change, a new direction. We’ve seen it in previous surveys we’ve done at this site, and we have a few writers who have outlined their positions on it. We also have some McCarthy believers still about. It feels like nothing can really take shape for the 2025 offseason until the Cowboys answer their head coaching question. Until then, it is hard to gauge fan sentiment. But we’ll lay one final marker on the ground around the end of the 2024 season and ask if you are confident in the direction of the team. Vote in the poll then hit the comments and let us know your thoughts. Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Dallas Cowboys fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys. Please take our survey

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images Offseason rumors are once again a thing. Does the NFL betting market know something about the Cowboys offseason plans that we don’t? This is the question just days into the unceremonious start of said offseason for the Cowboys, arriving here by missing the playoffs with a 7-10 record and ending the year on a two-game losing streak. Dallas has serious work to do ahead of them to overhaul a roster that went from winning 12 games each year from 2021-23, but faced season-long flaws compiled by a rash of injuries that made 2024 a lost year. For what feels like the hundredth time in the last few seasons, wide receiver is yet again a position the Cowboys can seemingly get the most bang for their buck and lift to their viability as a playoff contender with an upgrade. According to Sports Betting AG, they are currently the favorite to be Tyreek Hill’s next team. Tyreek Hill’s next NFL team odds, via @SportsBettingAG pic.twitter.com/HBBmWXXNNd — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 6, 2025 The Cowboys are narrow favorites over the Raiders, Falcons, Bills, and Patriots at the moment. Including the Cowboys, all of these teams outside of Buffalo missed the playoffs this season. The Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce after just one season (after an interim stint the year before) because of this, wanting to get a new head coach in place before restarting their search for a franchise QB. Whoever that QB may be, they will have record-breaking TE Brock Bowers going into just his second season in 2025, and pairing him with Hill would help Las Vegas embrace the mentality of their new home city and get back to putting on a show offensively. The Falcons saw a late-season spark from rookie quarterback Michael Penix, but still left them short of the playoffs, losing out on the NFC South for the fourth straight year to the Buccaneers despite winning both head-to-head matchups. Penix’s ability to throw the deep ball was one of his best traits as a prospect out of Washington, and connecting with Hill while also having Bijan Robinson out of the backfield would equally give Atlanta a full complement of weapons on offense. Lastly, the Patriots became yet another team to fire a first-year head coach in Jerod Mayo, with owner Robert Kraft being very vocal about how poorly the team has drafted putting Mayo in an “untenable” situation. New England’s most glaring need has been at the skill positions for far too long now. The Patriots have drafted six receivers over the last four years, but were still led in receptions and receiving yards by tight end Hunter Henry in quarterback Drake Maye’s rookie season. They have not had a WR eclipse 1,000 yards since Julian Edelman in 2019, which was Tom Brady’s last season. The opportunity to keep Hill within the AFC East is certainly something they should be interested in. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images Again with the exception of the Bills, the Cowboys being favorited to land Hill may be a testament to their quarterback situation over the other struggling teams mentioned here. Hill’s frustrations in Miami after missing the playoffs for the first time in his three seasons there have boiled over into the star WR boldly claiming he has played his last down for the Dolphins despite still having two years left on his contract and a $26.9 million cap hit in 2025. Even when the Dolphins were in the playoffs with Hill, their reliance on big plays in the passing game as the only phase they prioritize enough to compete was stymied by drawing cold weather games away from south Florida. In last year’s loss to Hill’s former team the Chiefs, the former KC Super Bowl champion was held to five catches for 62 yards. The Dolphins were eliminated in the Wild Card round for the second straight year, and left searching for their first playoff win since 2000, the longest active streak in the league that will carry over into next year. This season, Hill’s 959 receiving yards were the fewest he’s had in a full season played since his 2016 rookie year. His six touchdowns also match a career low from 2016, and catching passes from four different quarterbacks as the Dolphins turned to Tyler Huntley, Skylar Thompson, and Tim Boyle when Tua Tagovailoa was unavailable doesn’t help the overall situation either. The Cowboys current situation with Dak Prescott is far from perfect, as he will go into 2025 off another season-ending injury and still with everything to prove in living up to becoming the highest-paid player in NFL history this past offseason. The closest the Cowboys have ever come to being taken seriously as a real contender under Prescott is when they’ve loaded up at WR though, and pairing Hill with CeeDee Lamb would certainly accomplish this. Dallas showed flashes in the final game of the season started by Trey Lance of secondary receivers like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, and even return man KaVontae Turpin making plays, but cannot go into the 2025 season expecting this committee approach around Lamb to yield the results they’ll expect from Prescott in the pass game. The early offseason tea leaves are all pointing to head coach and offensive play-caller Mike McCarthy returning, and with that the Cowboys ability to make big plays on this side of the ball will rightfully be scrutinized. Lamb and Hill would give the Cowboys two dynamic players with the run-after-catch ability and raw game-breaking skill to finally be a formidable opponent to scout against, something that hasn’t been said nearly often enough about them in comparison to the resources they’ve allocated on offense. Still, for Dallas to be flat out favorites at the moment to land Hill is a major surprise. It is well understood within the fanbase that this is simply not the type of move this team will typically make, and Stephen Jones put the idea in fan’s

Photo credit should read PAUL BUCK/AFP via Getty Images We’ve become really good at counting the years in Cowboys Nation. We bear the painful knowledge that it’s been 29 years since Dallas’ last Super Bowl, or even an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. But a new number is starting to take its own emotional toll; 22 years since the last time Jerry Jones made a bold, uncharacteristic move with who he hired as the Cowboys’ head coach. 2003 was the year and Bill Parcells was the hire. After watching his 90s dynasty crumble and then three-straight seasons of 5-11 records under Dave Campo, Jones was finally desperate enough to get off the friends-and-family plan with his head coaches. He brought in Parcells, a proven Super Bowl winner with a reputation for authoritarianism. He’d served as both the head coach and general manager in his stints with the Patriots and Jets before coming to Dallas, the antithesis of the type of coaches Jones has generally hired since the divorce with Jimmy Johnson. Despite inheriting Quincy Carter as his starting quarterback and only just getting started with the rebuild, Parcells immediately ended a three-year playoff drought in his first season. As the last remnants of the 90s were purged and new franchise fixtures like DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten, and Terence Newman were being added, the QB position remained a weak point for the next two years. It wasn’t until Tony Romo finally emerged in 2006 that Parcells had the passer to elevate the team to another level, but by then the relationship between Parcells and Jones had predictably eroded. He left the Cowboys the following offseason. In the 18 years since Parcells left, we’ve seen Jones revert back to his post-Johnson desire to remain unchallenged by his head coach. He replaced Parcells with Wade Phillips, a guy who literally earned the nickname “Coach Cupcake” for his demeanor and non-confrontational approach to handling his players and co-workers. Then came Jason Garrett, a homegrown product who’d played for Jones and had family ties to the organization going back to the late 60s. Known for keeping an even keel, Garrett was never going to be adversarial with Jones or make him feel disrespected. After giving Garrett most of a decade to try to push things forward, Jones finally moved on to Mike McCarthy in 2020. Bringing a Super Bowl ring and a long history of dominance in the NFC North, McCarthy was the most accomplished NFL head coach Jones had ever hired besides Parcells. But personality-wise, he was far more reminiscent of the soft style of Phillips, and had a reputation for not meddling in the Packers’ front office business. Again, the kind of coach that suited Jerry Jones’ ego. Granted, these last three coaches all did a solid job of maintaining the level that Parcells had taken the Cowboys to. Phillips got Dallas its first NFC East championship since 1998 and its first playoff win since 1996. Garrett, after rebuilding the offensive line and with mostly average-to-bad defenses, won the NFC East three times in five years with two playoff wins. McCarthy led Dallas to three straight 12-win seasons and its first consecutive playoff appearances since 2006-2007. But the last two decades have felt more like treading water than making strides. Parcells pulled the Cowboys out of annual despair and at least made it competitive again, and that’s what we’ve seen during the last three coaches’ tenures. The 2007 and 2014 teams were probably the closest to Super Bowl contention but fell short in close playoff games. But even when Dallas has otherwise appeared in the postseason, they’ve had clear weaknesses that held them back from challenging the NFL elite. Now it’s back on Jerry Jones to change the trajectory of his franchise. Even if you think McCarthy is the team’s best coach since Parcells, or even Johnson, he’s been embarrassingly outclassed in his playoff exits and hasn’t gotten Dallas off this treadmill of mediocrity. His Super Bowl ring is now 14 years old and the game seems to have evolved beyond his ability to change and keep up with top-level performances. If Jones is still more concerned about shielding his traumatized self-esteem, which has been the Cowboys’ Achilles’ heel for 30 years, then we’ll either get McCarthy back or some other soft hire that provides adequate ego cushion. The team’s been close enough at times that this could produce a true championship contender, but not without a whole lot of luck. In 2025, the equivalents of the Parcells hire in 2003 would be guys like Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden. But one has already taken his talents to Chapel Hill, NC and the other is still pursuing a lawsuit against the NFL. Even if Gruden does land another head coaching job, the spotlight of the Dallas Cowboys may be more than the league or Jones wants to shine on his other issues. And frankly, even with these guys, there’d be good reason to worry that their credentials as proven winners have expired with time. But a big name with past success isn’t the only way for Jones to be bold. What if he truly went outside the box and finally struck at a young, hotshot coordinator from some other team? Not Kellen Moore, who he knows well and would basically be another Garrett-like hire. But what about the likes of a Ben Johnson (Detroit OC) or Joe Brady (Buffalo OC), who’d bring a completely fresh perspective and new vibe to the organization? Or what about Lions DC Aaron Glenn, who actually played for Parcells in Dallas from 2005-2006 but has done all of his coaching in other circles. Again, as always, it all comes back to Jerry Jones. If he’s as desperate to win one more Super Bowl as he claims then it’s time to stop getting in the way. Mike McCarthy was a retread when he hired him, a decade removed from his one championship, and has ultimately fallen short