The Dallas Cowboys will prevent one of their top defensive players from hitting the open market this offseason.
Defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and the Cowboys have agreed to a four-year, $80 million deal, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported. The deal includes $52 million in guaranteed money.
Odighizuwa, 26, was set to become a free agent when the new league year begins in March and was viewed as a possible franchise tag candidate. He was ranked the 12th-best free agent overall and second-best defensive tackle in FOX Sports’ top 100 NFL free agent rankings.
Odighizuwa became a full-time starter for the Cowboys soon after they selected him in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s started every game for Dallas in the past three seasons, recording at least 40 total tackles and three sacks each year. He posted career highs in total tackles (47) and sacks (4.5) in 2024, adding a forced fumble.
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Beyond the box score, a few advanced metrics had Odighizuwa as one of the best defensive tackles in football last season. His 60 pressures were the third-most at the position and his 30 run stops were the 12th-most among interior defensive linemen, per Pro Football Focus. He was also 12th among defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate (11%), according to ESPN.
Odighizuwa was one of the lone bright spots for the Cowboys defense in 2024. Dallas’ defensive unit ranked 28th in total defense and 31st in scoring defense last season, struggling en route to a 7-10 season. As a result, head coach Mike McCarthy was let go and defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer was not retained after just one season. Former Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus has been hired as defensive coordinator under first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
With Odighizuwa’s contract situation settled, attention turns to Micah Parsons. The star pass-rusher is entering the final year of his rookie deal and has expressed a desire to receive an extension this offseason. Such a deal would likely make Parsons one of the highest-paid defensive players, if not the highest, in NFL history.
The Cowboys also have a handful of other notable free agents this offseason, with edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence, running back Rico Dowdle, edge rusher Chauncey Golston, linebacker Eric Kendricks and quarterback Cooper Rush among them.
Prior to Odighizuwa’s new deal, the Cowboys only had $2.4 million in cap space, per OverTheCap.com.
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