Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa isn’t a household name, but the former third-round pick should receive a sizable payday on the open market. Selected by the Dallas Cowboys, the UCLA product finished 2024 with 4.5 sacks, 47 tackles, five tackles-for-loss, 23 quarterback hits, and a 68.1 PFF grade, the 31st-best mark out of 118 eligible players. While he’s not a Micah Parsons-level player, he’s an above-average starter most teams would love to have.
Now set to reach free agency, ESPN’s Matt Bowen believes the defensive tackle Dallas and join the Los Angeles Chargers. Currently ranked as the 11th-best free agent on Bowen’s list, Osa Odighizuwa will move into the top 10 once the Bengals use the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins. While this is a logical fit, nobody should be surprised if he joins teams like the Kansas City Chiefs or Washington Commanders.
ESPN: Chargers Could Steal Osa Odighizuwa From Dallas Cowboys
Head coach Jim Harbaugh wants to build a tough, physical football team that wins games in the trenches. Last year, he accomplished this mission by getting career years out of Poona Ford and Teair Tart, as both players finished with top-12 PFF grades among defensive tackles. However, both players are impending free agents, and neither have played this well in their entire career. Tart, for instance, couldn’t even make the Miami Dolphins roster before landing with the Chargers.
Perhaps Harbaugh’s coaching unlocked something in these two and they can maintain their high level of play if re-signed. However, the odds of that are relatively slim. Osa Odighizuwa is a safer signing with multiple years of consistent play under his belt. While he will cost more than either defensive tackle, the Chargers have more than enough salary cap space to fortify the interior defensive line and still address needs across the roster.
Other Fits
Chris Jones remains an elite defensive tackle, but Kansas City must start thinking about life without the three-time All-Pro. Now entering his age-31 season, Jones is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. Kansas City must find another starting-caliber lineman to ease the burden on the three-time Super Bowl champion. Osa Odighizuwa is not as good as Jones, but he’d give the team an elite defensive tackle duo in the short-term and long-term stability at the position.
The Washington Commanders made it to the NFC Championship Game thanks to rookie Jayden Daniels and a vastly improved coaching staff. Now, it’s time for them to build a roster capable of winning it all. Washington’s defensive tackles did not hold up their end of the bargain in 2024, as the once-great Jonathan Allen showed signs of age and second-round rookie Jer’Zhan Newton didn’t do much of anything. Perhaps the rookie can improve in Year 2, but Osa Odighizuwa could raise the floor on this position. Head coach Dan Quinn should be more than willing to reunite with Odighizuwa, as the two have a shared history with the Dallas Cowboys.
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