Cowboys score massive offseason win with Osa Odighizuwa's $80M contract

The Dallas Cowboys scored a big win on Tuesday, when they agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, according to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic.

Odighizuwa, 26, was the Cowboys' top free agent, and one of, if not the best defensive tackles on the free market in the coming offseason, and was a crucial win for a team who has had precious few of them in free agency in recent seasons.

The story of recent seasons in Dallas has been the exit of high profile talent from the roster. Tony Pollard left for the Titans last year, Dalton Schultz is a Houston Texan, and Noah Brown is a Washington Commander. They have been unable to afford to keep their home-grown talent at home, and their depth has suffered as a result.

In Odighizuwa, Dallas has a truly homegrown talent. The 26-year-old was a third round pick, and has gotten better with each passing season with the Cowboys, culminating in a 47 tackle, 4.5 sack season last year. Keeping the UCLA product in Dallas is a massive win, and a sign that when they want to, they can still splash cash to keep guys at home.

On top of that, Odighizuwa fills a massive, massive need for Dallas. Their defensive tackles have been shaky at best in recent seasons, as former first-round pick Mazi Smith has yet to show any of the potential he had at Michigan. Odighizuwa gives them stability at a a position where they've had very little luck in recent seasons, and allows them the ability to target other areas of need in free agency and the draft.

Odighizuwa isn't a perfect player; he's still a bit shaky against the run at times, and doesn't always fill the way he needs to on run fits specifically. But on the pass rush, he's one of the better defensive tackles in the league at commanding linemen's attention and disrupting the interior of the line.

All in all, this is a big win for the Cowboys, and a sign that after a couple years of frustration with players leaving, things might be changing at last

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