Two days after making a deal with the Green Bay Packers to acquire edge rusher Rashan Gary, the Dallas Cowboys engaged in yet another trade with a longtime non-division rival on Wednesday evening, sending defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a third-round pick (No. 92 overall) in next month's draft.
Much like the Gary trade, not every Cowboys fan is on board with the Odighizuwa deal. But just like the Green Bay trade made sense, given Dallas' need for an effective edge, the San Francisco deal makes sense as well, as there just weren't going to be enough snaps to go around between Odighizuwa, Quinnen Williams, and Kenny Clark.
Yes, Dallas took a significant dead cap hit of $16 million while opening just $4.75 million in salary cap space. But they're also no longer on the hook for the $20.5 million cap hits he'll have in both the 2027 and 2028 seasons. And Jerry Jones got back the third-round pick he lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the George Pickens deal. So, there's that positive as well.
There are naturally some negative aspects to the deal as well, as Odighizuwa has been incredibly reliable, missing just one game his entire career. And he's undoubtedly one of the top pass-rushing DTs in the league, ranking first in quarterback hits (23), fifth in pass rush win rate (10%), and 20th in pressure rate (5.7%) this past season.
And from a deeper perspective, however, there's an incredibly sad and disheartening factor to this trade, as Odighizuwa was the last remaining member of the Cowboys' 2021 draft class.
Every member of the Cowboys' 2021 NFL Draft class is now gone
Here's a quick look at the Cowboys' entire 2021 draft class and how each was shown the door.
Round, Pick | Player, Position | Cowboys Exit |
|---|---|---|
Rd. 1, No. 12 | Micah Parsons, LB | Traded to Packers (8/28/25) |
Rd. 2, No. 44 | Kelvin Joseph, DB | Traded to Dolphins (8/29/23) |
Rd. 3, No. 75 | Osa Odighizuwa, DL | Traded to 49ers (3/11/26) |
Rd. 3, No. 84 | Chauncey Golston, DL | Elected free agency (3/10/25) |
Rd. 3, No. 99 | Nahshon Wright, DB | Traded to Vikings (8/9/24) |
Rd. 4, No. 115 | Jabril Cox, LB | Waived (8/29/23) |
Rd. 4, No. 138 | Josh Ball, OL | Signed by Saints off Cowboys practice squad (12/31/24) |
Rd. 5, No. 179 | Simi Fehoko, WR | Waived (8/29/23) |
Rd. 6, No. 192 | Quinton Bohanna, DL | Waived (8/29/23) |
Rd. 6, No. 227 | Israel Mukuamu, DB | Waived (8/26/25) |
Rd. 7, No. 238 | Matt Farniok, OL | Waived (8/29/23) |
As you can see, Dallas ultimately selected 11 players during the 2021 NFL Draft, using a whopping eight of those selections on defensive players.
The crown jewel of that class, of course, was Micah Parsons, who was taken 12th overall and racked up 52.5 sacks and earned four trips to the Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections in four seasons before being shipped to the Packers last August.
But Parsons certainly wasn't the only promising prospect the Cowboys took that week. There was Odighizuwa, of course, who went in the third round at No. 75 overall. Chauncey Golston was taken nine picks later at No. 84.
Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph seemed like a solid choice in Round 2 at No. 44 overall, but he didn't pan out and took his last regular-season NFL snap back in 2024 with the Indianapolis Colts, playing in 2025 for the UFL's DC Defenders.
The Cowboys also went the cornerback route late in Round 3, using a compensatory pick at No. 99 to select Nahson Wright, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 2024 season and just made his first Pro Bowl this past year with the Chicago Bears.
But the defensive back who stuck with Dallas the longest was safety Israel Mukuamu, who was taken in Round 6 at No. 221 overall and played four years with the Cowboys before being released last August.
There's no way to sugarcoat this. It is inconceivable that an entire draft class from just five years ago has already been wiped out. That's the risk you run by changing defensive coordinators four years in a row.