The Dallas Cowboys are weighing the option of placing a franchise tag on Osa Odighizuwa, their standout defensive tackle, if no long-term deal is reached by the looming deadline. At 26 years old, Odighizuwa has made an impressive mark in the NFL since being selected as a third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2021 out of UCLA. Known for his remarkable durability, Odighizuwa has not missed a single game in his career, tallying 67 consecutive appearances with 63 starts.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and weighing 280 pounds, Odighizuwa is distinguished by his reliance on leverage and quickness over sheer brute strength. In the run game, he has demonstrated considerable resilience. His performance peaked in 2024 when he played a career-high 860 snaps, accounting for 77.9% of the team's defensive plays. That season, he achieved personal bests with 4.5 sacks, 47 tackles, five tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one pass deflection.
Throughout his four NFL seasons, Odighizuwa has accumulated 172 tackles and 13.5 sacks. He was credited with 54 pressures last season, placing him second only to Micah Parsons on the Cowboys' roster. The potential franchise tag for defensive tackles is projected at $25.1 million this year. The Cowboys have successfully utilized this strategy before, notably signing long-term deals with Dak Prescott and DeMarcus Lawrence after tagging them twice.
However, not all franchise tag decisions have led to long-term contracts. The last two players tagged by the Cowboys, running back Tony Pollard and tight end Dalton Schultz, departed via free agency the following year without securing extensions. The deadline for teams to place franchise tags on their pending free agents is set for Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
If the Cowboys decide to tag Odighizuwa, it would mark the seventh instance in the past eight years of opting for this route. The decision underscores the team's ongoing strategy to retain critical talent and manage salary cap implications effectively.
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