At face value, a 17-point yield on defense isn’t much to get excited about. The Cowboys defense held their first two opponents in 2023 to 10 total points. And after getting embarrassed on national television against the 49ers in Week 5, they needed a dominate effort to repair their tarnished image.
A closer look showed it truly was the dominant performance the Cowboys were searching for. While the constant penalties made things needlessly difficult, some of that can be attributed to a flag-happy officiating crew and some overzealous individuals. When it counted, players came up huge and one of those players who posted an absolutely ernormous day was third-year DT, Osa Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa has been the Cowboys top DT all season, but in Week 6, he posted arguably his best game of the year. He clocked a hit and five hurries in 33 pass rush snaps, earning him Pro Football Focus’s top grade of the game and Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Odighizuwa now ranks No. 6 amongst DTs. He’s in the NFL’s top tier in pass rush wins from the interior defensive line and a big reason opposing offenses can’t devote all resources to stopping Dallas’ onslaught of EDGE rushers.
The Cowboys had 26 pressures on Justin Herbert, who had 44 drop backs. The pressure leaders:
Micah Parsons: 8
Osa Odighizuwa: 6
Demarcus Lawrence: 4
Dante Fowler: 3
Damone Clark: 2
Donovan Wilson, Dorance Armstrong, Jayron Kearse: 1— Tom Downey (@WhatGoingDowney) October 17, 2023
Odighizuwa was popular choice as a breakout player to watch in 2023. While a case could be made the UCLA product had already broken out, he’d yet to be nationally recognized.
This could be a big step in his bid for Pro Bowl honors in 2023.
Osa just ragdolled that grown man (weekly tweet)
— Defy (@defytalkcowboys) October 17, 2023
Playing on his rookie deal through the 2024 season, Odighizuwa represents one of the biggest bargains on the Cowboys roster. He’s established himself as one of the best young DTs in the NFL and shows an appreciation for both phases of the game.
Odighizuwa is Dallas’ top pressure player from the interior. He can penetrate inside gaps in a flash and stunt outside with defensive ends with ease. He’s also shown the ability to play inside and outside in odd-man fronts making him a versatile tool in Dan Quinn’s defensive arsenal.
Despite seeing double-teams 66 percent of the time in 2023, He’s ranked No. 2 in ESPN’s pass-rush win-rate.
Odighizuwa has shown improvement every season he’s played and he’s yet to plateau in his development. The sky is the limit for this 25-year-old linemen and he’s already become a cornerstone player on the Cowboys defense.
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