It had been a while since the Dallas Cowboys coasted to a victory, but they bucked that trend in Sunday's 30-14 win over the Carolina Panthers. While CeeDee Lamb and Rico Dowdle paced an efficient afternoon for the offense, the story of the game was Dallas' defense.
We can't speak for all Cowboys fans, but Mike Zimmer should absolutely be back as defensive coordinator in 2025. The defense was excellent again on Sunday and has played extremely well for the last month.
Micah Parsons sacked Bryce Young twice and flirted with double-digit pressures yet again, while rookie Marist Liufau, starting for the injured DeMarvion Overshown, forced a fumble that completely changed the game.
Incredibly, Parsons and Liufau were not the players of the game. That title belongs to none other than Osa Odighizuwa. A free agent after the season, Odighizuwa is playing the best ball of his career and might be pricing himself out of Dallas in the process.
Osa Odighizuwa might be too expensive for the Cowboys to re-sign
Osa Odighizuwa has had an AMAZING season.
— RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) December 15, 2024
Dude is set up to get paid in the offseason.
Odighizuwa has been one of the most dominant interior defenders in the NFL this season. That continued on Sunday to the tune of six pressures, one sack, three quarterback hits, four defensive stops and a career-high 91.6 pass-rush grade, via Pro Football Focus.
Only Chiefs superstar Chris Jones (66) and Broncos standout Zach Allen (56) have more pressures this season than Odighizuwa (51) this year, per PFF (subscription required). The former third-round pick also ranks second in QB hits, third in pressure rate and top 10 in hurries.
No defensive player in football has more QB hits than Odighizuwa's 16 over the last seven weeks. That list includes Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons and Defensive Player of the Year favorite T.J. Watt, who might just be the three best defenders in the league.
READ MORE: Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle reaches feat not seen in the NFL in a decade
There's been a lot of talk about the Cowboys signing the best defensive tackle in free agency this offseason. Make no mistake about it: That player is Odighizuwa.
Unfortunately, Stephen Jones has already announced Dallas' intention to tighten its budget this spring. With Parsons set to command the richest contract in NFL history for a defensive player, it's unclear if the team will have enough resources to pay Odighizuwa.
The good news? The Cowboys historically have prioritized homegrown talent relative to external free agents. They've obviously let a lot of players walk, but Odighizuwa is the most disruptive interior defender Dallas has developed in-house since four-time Pro Bowler Jay Ratliff.
Many players struggle living up to the pressure of performing in a contract year. Odighizuwa clearly doesn't fall under that category. He's responded with the best season of his career and the Cowboys would be foolish to let him walk to the highest bidder.
Unfortunately, foolish decisions have become the norm for this front office so there's no telling if Odighizuwa will be back.