The Dallas Cowboys have a rather miserable financial situation heading into the NFL offseason, so it may prove difficult for them to actually make some major moves.

The Cowboys not only have to worry about adding players on the open market, but they also have to attend to their own free agents.

Perhaps Dallas’ most important player preparing to hit free agency is defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa, who has established himself as an integral part of the Cowboys’ defense.

The former UCLA Bruins star may also very well be the best interior defensive lineman available next month.

However, Saad Yousuf of The Athletic is strongly advising Dallas to keep Odighizuwa, listing him as a “Tier 1” free agent for the club.

“In the past few months, the front office expressed multiple times that it will prioritize re-signing Odighizuwa, who has gone from the team’s third-round pick in 2021 to become its top interior defensive lineman,” Yousuf wrote. “Odighizuwa is projected to be one of if not the best defensive tackle in the upcoming free agency market. Odighizuwa is versatile and has played in all but one game through his first four NFL seasons. The Cowboys may have a strong desire to bring back Odighizuwa but there will be a bidding war for his services on the open market. If the Cowboys lose him, they will be severely limited at a position that has already been a major weakness, aside from Odighizuwa.”

Odighizuwa was selected by the Cowboys in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He immediately flashed his potential during his rookie campaign, registering 36 tackles and a couple of sacks while playing in 16 games.

Since then, the 26-year-old has appeared in every contest for Dallas, which is incredibly valuable in and of itself. He posted 43 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble in his second season, and in 2023, he recorded 46 stops and three sacks.

This past year, Odighizuwa finished with 47 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a hefty 23 quarterback hits, indicating how much havoc he wreaked in opposing backfields.

The UCLA product may not be a household name, but he is one of the most dominant defensive tackles in football. It would strongly behoove the Cowboys to retain him this offseason. That’s if they can afford him, of course.

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