Could Dallas Cowboys trade $80 million player? NFL teams sure seem to think so
The Dallas Cowboys may be gearing up to trade one of their top defensive tackles. At least multiple teams appear to think so.
Having three defensive tackles making a combined $63.75 million in a single season is difficult to pull off. That may cause the Dallas Cowboys to trade one of their best players on defense, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
It’s something fans and media members have been discussing for a long time now, but now an NFL insider is providing insight into the situation. And it sure sounds like it could happen as the top talents of free agency become more scarce.
NFL teams looking into Odighizuwa
According to NFL insider Jonathan Jones from CBS, multiple teams believe the Cowboys are open to trading Odighizuwa.
“Teams are keeping an eye on what Dallas may do with Osa Odighizuwa, sources say,” Jones posted on social media. “The Cowboys signed him to a 4-year, $80M contract last year, and teams believe he can now be traded for.”
The post followed the Cowboys’ signing of free agent nose tackle Otito Ogbonnia.
Though Ogbonnia plays a different position than Odighizuwa and signed for only a $3 million deal, his arrival could free up Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams to move away from the nose tackle spot and spend more time at three-technique or other wider alignments.
Analysts have debated whether or not Odighizuwa fits the new Cowboys defensive scheme under Christian Parker, which is set to rely on “one and a half gap” defense instead of the more aggressive “one gap” approach, which better fits Osa’s style of playing.
Trading Osa would raise two key concerns
If the Cowboys pull off this move, compensation will be what determines if it was a good move or not. But I can tell you right off the bat about two concerns I’d have with it:
- The Cowboys would lose their one true strength on defense. Sure, having Clark and Williams would still make this a pretty good unit, but depth would stop being the outrageous strength it is now. For a defense with so many concerns, losing that would hurt.
- I’m not sure what kind of compensation the Cowboys can get for Osa. He’s a very good player but he’s only one year into a four-year contract with fully guaranteed salary for 2026 and potentially 2027. A third-rounder would be ideal, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up being less than that because of the financials.
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