Cowboys Trade Osa Odighizuwa to 49ers for Third-Round Pick — A Deal That Made Too Much Sense for Both Sides
Dallas built a defensive tackle room so loaded it had no room for the man they paid $80 million a year ago. On Wednesday, the Cowboys sent Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for the 49ers' No. 92 overall pick — their third-round selection in April's draft.
Why the Cowboys Moved On
At last year's trade deadline, the Cowboys acquired Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Though owner and general manager Jerry Jones said Dallas could keep Williams, Kenny Clark, and Odighizuwa, it would have been top-heavy from both a salary cap and playing time perspective.
The scheme change sealed it. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker's transition to a straight 3-4 front made Odighizuwa a fish out of water — he's undersized for a 4i defensive end and doesn't possess the traits of an outside linebacker on the edge.
Dallas will absorb $16 million in dead money but opens $4.75 million in salary cap space — exactly enough to get under the 2026 limit by Wednesday's deadline. They also reclaimed a third-round pick they had surrendered in last year's trade for George Pickens.
What Odighizuwa Brings to San Francisco
The fit in San Francisco is immediate and obvious. The 49ers managed a league-low 20 sacks last season — their biggest defensive deficiency. Odighizuwa ranked seventh in pass-rushing productivity league-wide in 2025, ahead of the other interior rushers San Francisco had pursued this offseason.
In five seasons with Dallas, he totaled 216 tackles, 17 sacks, and 34 tackles for loss. He led the Cowboys with 52 pressures in 2025 while posting a 13.6% pass-rush win rate per PFF. He has played in 87 of 88 possible games since entering the NFL in 2021 — the durability profile that San Francisco specifically prioritized after cutting injury-prone Javon Hargrave following his disastrous contract.
Odighizuwa is under contract through 2028 with base salaries of $16.25 million — fully guaranteed — in 2026, and $20 million in each of the following two seasons. He joins second-year tackles Alfred Collins and C.J. West on the interior, with Collins recovering from shoulder surgery and expected ready by the season opener.
The Bigger Picture in Dallas
The Cowboys didn't stop at Odighizuwa. They also traded Solomon Thomas to the Tennessee Titans in a seventh-round pick swap, and signed former Los Angeles Chargers nose tackle Otito Ogbonnia for interior depth. Earlier in the week, Dallas finalized a trade for Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary — a major addition to offset the defensive line reshuffling.
With the Niners' third-round pick, the Cowboys now hold three selections inside the top 100: picks No. 12, No. 20 — acquired in the Micah Parsons trade — and now No. 92. Jerry Jones has turned a crowded position into draft capital. Whether that capital produces a player half as good as Odighizuwa remains the question.
