It was clear that something, perhaps many things, needed to change if the Dallas Cowboys wanted to have more defensive success during the 2026 NFL season. Matt Eberflus was the first and most important domino to fall, but the talent influx that the Cowboys still needed was fairly significant.
And so it was a bit of a head-scratcher when Jerry Jones traded defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa amid the chaos of free agency. Yes, his contract was probably too high for a player of his caliber, but he was still young and a significant contributor. Fans of America's Team were truly mixed on the deal.
The hope is that linebacker Jaishawn Barham, whom the Cowboys used the third-round pick from the Odighizuwa trade on, can carve out a larger role for Christian Parker's group, and the trade is a net positive for Dallas. Early reports from San Francisco 49ers OTAs, however, call that into question.
Former Dallas Cowboys DT Osa Odighizuwa impressing at 49ers OTAs
As fans remember, Odighizuwa was dealt across the NFC to the 49ers back in March. And although it is just OTAs, where contact isn't allowed and full-speed reps can even be rare, Odighizuwa is making quite an impresison in San Francisco, according to 49ers Plus Minus Podcast host Matt Barrows.
"The other guy who stood out to me: Osa Odighizuwa," Barrows said.. "He just kind of looks the part. ... From a size perspective, he stands out. And also from a leadership perspective. I'd heard this, and I saw it today, is that he's the guy that's leading that group. And you can just see it in the body language. You can see it. He's the first guy through the drills. He's probably an underappreciated addition to this team. I think his impact is going to be big."
No Cowboys fan will deny that Odighizuwa looks like a million bucks, and with several 49ers stars absent from camp, it is no wonder that the sixth-year pro is taking on a leadership role. But Dallas fans reserve the right to question whether he'll look like $80 million bucks when the pads come on.
Again, Odighizuwa was a good, sometimes very good player. But the NFL is a business, and a cost-benefit analysis had to be made, which factored in how much the Cowboys were also invested in Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, and how much burn Odighizuwa would have gotten behind them.
But if Odighizuwa stars in San Francisco this year and the 49ers are making noise in the NFC, it won't take long for Jerry Jones and Co. to come under fire for the decision. It'll become especially deafening if either Clark or Williams isn't performing up to snuff.
While some fans thought Odighizuwa was worth the money and Jones was careless to let him go, others understood the difficult decision that the Dallas front office had to make. Fans commonly get divided on issues like this, but ideally, Cowboys fans will soon come to a consensus.
Let's just hope that the consensus isn't "Jones was a fool to trade Odighizuwa, who is already a star for the conference rival 49ers."
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