If you're wondering why the Dallas Cowboys have yet to perform more salary cap gymnastics, there might be an explanation for it.
As of this writing, the Cowboys are still $11.48 million over the salary cap. That must change before the new league year begins at 4 pm. ET on Wednesday. They've restructured a handful of contracts, but they still haven't touched their defensive tackle trio. Why is that?
According to Bryan Broaddus of 105.3 The Fan, it may be because Dallas still doesn't know if Osa Odighizuwa will be on the roster. Odighizuwa's name surfaced in trade talks for Maxx Crosby, which has prompted other teams to call the Cowboys and gauge his availability.
"The name that gets mentioned is Osa Odighizuwa. If he was part of the process (to get Crosby), if he was part of what the Cowboys were willing to move on from, I would be interested to see if he's still a part of some other deals.
But it sounds like there were some teams that were calling once they found out that Osa Odighizuwa was available. So keep an eye on that one ...," Broaddus said.
The Dallas Cowboys may be taking trade calls on DT Osa Odighizuwa
Cowboys insider Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan has heard similar rumblings.
"Out of all of the switches the Cowboys have flipped to this point, they have not touched their defensive tackle deals yet ... And I think that's because they don't know what switches they're flipping yet because they don't want to flip a switch on a guy and then move him. And I think that might be Osa Odighizuwa ...," Belt said.
That's a lot to digest, and it certainly explains a lot.
The Cowboys and Kenny Clark are reportedly negotiating an extension. What's interesting about that is that Clark's contract is the easiest to get out of since he has no guaranteed money left. Whether via trade or release, Dallas would save $21.5 million with zero dead money left behind.
New defensive coordinator Christian Parker said at the NFL Combine that Clark was the "best nose tackle in football" during his time in Green Bay. It goes without saying that Quinnen Williams is the alpha of the room, but Clark seems to be the clear No. 2.
That means less playing time for Odighizuwa. While there will be plenty of snaps to go around, does Dallas really want its $80 million investment playing 50 percent of the snaps? Probably not.
On the flip side, what could the Cowboys really get in an Odighizuwa trade? A third-round pick feels like the best-case scenario, with a fourth-rounder being a more realistic return. A third should get the wheels churning, but why offload a really good player for a Day 3 pick? The front office might be asking itself these very questions.
Trading Odighizuwa would be nothing short of stunning. As it turns out, though, all of the release and trade speculation that followed Kenny Clark this offseason should have been directed at the Cowboys' former third-round pick.