Dallas Cowboys’ Osa Odighizuwa expected to land deal north of $90M
The Dallas Cowboys have been active this week in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine in meeting with the representation of impending free agents. On Thursday, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the Cowboys will “make it very tough” to let their free agents leave, and that began with this week’s negotiations.
One of the team’s top priorities is nickel cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who is a free agent after eight seasons with the team and arguably his best season in coverage in 2024. According to a source, the Cowboys have met about Lewis’ return but there is not an offer on the table.
In eight seasons, Lewis has played in 115 games and has accounted for 10 interceptions, 44 pass deflections and 386 total tackles. His 79.0 coverage grade in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, ranked 14th out of 223 cornerbacks across the NFL.
In addition, the Cowboys remain in negotiations with starting defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa following the expiration of his rookie contract. Expected to be paid one of the richest defensive tackle deals in the NFL, the expectation is now that Odighizuwa will land a deal north of $90 million over the span of four years ($22.5 million per year).
While there is still work to be done that will likely stretch into next week, both sides have a mutual desire for Odighizuwa’s return to Dallas.
“There’s a lot of ongoing conversations,” Schottenheimer said on Thursday afternoon. “Obviously, Osa has done a terrific job for us. He’s a terrific young player. He does everything right. As those communications keep going, it’s never done til it’s done, but he’d be a guy we’d love to have back.”
In four seasons, Odighizuwa has missed just one game and has accounted for 172 tackles and 13.5 sacks. His 78.5 pass rush grade in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, ranked 11th out of 219 interior defensive linemen across the NFL.
The Cowboys are meeting with the agent of DeMarcus Lawrence on Friday, who also serves as the agent of Lewis and other free agents including running back Rico Dowdle and defensive end Chauncey Golston. With only so much money to go around before the Cowboys will bump up against the $279.2 million salary cap for 2025, it is expected that Dowdle and Golston could land bigger deals elsewhere.
However, there is still a lot to play out in Indianapolis and back in Dallas before free agency opens on March 12.
This story was originally published February 28, 2025 at 2:05 PM.
