Cowboys trade two defensive linemen, including captain from last season
The Dallas Cowboys are trading defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2026 third-round draft pick (No. 92 overall), a source confirmed to the Star-Telegram.
Odighizuwa, 27, spent five seasons with the Cowboys after being selected in the third round of the 2021 draft. He accumulated 216 tackles and 17.5 sacks in 84 games, missing just one contest in five years. He was a captain in 2025 after signing a four-year, $80 million extension last offseason.
He now heads to San Francisco, where he will reunite with former Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who was hired as the 49ers’ assistant head coach of defense last month.
While the Cowboys will take on $16 million in dead cap in 2026, they will save $4.75 million by making this deal after his contract was set to cost $20.75 million this season.
Minutes after Odighizuwa was shipped out, it was announced that fellow defensive tackle Solomon Thomas is being traded to the Tennessee Titans. The Cowboys and Titans swapped seventh-round picks in the deal, resulting in Dallas moving up from No. 225 overall to No. 218 overall in the final round. Dallas saves $2.47 million toward the cap in the trade.
Thomas reunites with former Cowboys defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton, who is now in Nashville. The two have spent four seasons together dating back to their tenure with the New York Jets.
Looking at the defensive tackle room now
After the two deals, the Cowboys’ rostered defensive tackles are Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Jay Toia and Otito Ogbonnia.
Roster numbers aside, the trio of Williams, Clark and Odighizuwa made up $63.8 million toward the 2026 salary cap, a gaudy number that had to be lessened before heading into the new league year. While the team restructured Clark’s contract to free up space, Odighizuwa’s was left untouched, signaling that a move could be coming. That was seen through on Wednesday night.
The Cowboys now have additional draft capital to potentially bring in another defensive tackle to rotate in with starters Williams and Clark, but adding another hole in the depth of a defense already looking to stop water from getting in the boat could end up being a risky move.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 6:16 PM.
