Last offseason, the Dallas Cowboys liked defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa enough that they signed him to a four-year, $80 million extension. Now, the team is parting ways with Odighizuwa.
The Cowboys are trading Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers for a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, NFL Media reported Wednesday. San Francisco’s third-round pick is the 92nd overall selection in the 2026 draft.
While the Cowboys made a major investment in Odighizuwa last offseason, the standout defensive tackle became expendable over the last year as Dallas added to the interior of its defensive line. The Cowboys received veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark from the Green Bay Packers trade last August. Nearly three months later, Dallas traded for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. The Cowboys gave the New York Jets a first-round pick in the 2027 draft and a second-round pick in the 2026 draft as part of that deal.
Odighizuwa, 27, had 3.5 sacks and 44 total tackles this past season. But he was among the top defensive tackles at generating pressure. His 52 pressures were the sixth-most at the position, while his 20 quarterback hits were second among defensive tackles, per Pro Football Focus. Odighizuwa also ranked ninth among defensive tackles in pass rush win rate and eighth at the position in run stop win rate.
So, the addition of Odighizuwa should certainly be a boost to the 49ers’ defense. San Francisco’s 20 sacks were the fewest in the league this past season. The 49ers were also 29th in pass rush win rate and 11th in run stop win rate.
The Cowboys have made a couple of notable additions to their defense in the early stages of the offseason to potentially offset the loss of Odighizuwa. They agreed to trade for Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary on Monday, and later agreed to terms on a deal with former Arizona Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson.
Wednesday’s trade will also help the Cowboys get Odighizuwa’s roughly $16 million salary off the books for the 2026 season.
