Tag: Osa Odighizuwa

Trade deadline passed, fixing this position is Cowboys biggest priority

Will 2025 finally be the offseason the Cowboys address the DT in free agency? | From @ReidDHanson

Almost weekly one of my kids will approach me with unapologetic sadness on their face because their tablet has inexplicably died. Forced to now interact with society like a boomer, they express shock over how such a sad, regular-occurring event could have happened to them. Again.

In the calmest, most matter-of-fact manor I can muster, I explain to them this is all because they didn’t take the necessary steps to prevent it the night before. If they addressed this extremely predictable issue earlier, it wouldn’t be a problem right now.

In many ways, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys represent my children in this illustration. Only instead of Jones forgetting to plug in his tablet night after night, Jones is neglecting to fix the same important position offseason after offseason.

Over the past two offseasons it’s been glaringly apparent the Cowboys have had an issue on their interior defensive line. Defensive tackle has headlined nearly every free agent wish list of theirs, yet the Cowboys have repeatedly turned up their nose like DT is somehow the mini tootsie roll of NFL positions.

Halfway through the 2025 campaign and it’s clear, DT is still a major issue in Dallas, and much like my kids and their battery-depleted tablets, the Cowboys have no one to blame but themselves.

It would take nearly an act of God to salvage the Cowboys DT this season. Mazi Smith has done nothing to alter his disappointing career trajectory, Osa Odighizuwa is approaching free agency and the numerous other band-aids and Bondo Dallas has plugged into the middle are extreme longshots to become long-term solutions at any point in their careers.

The same position that headlined the Cowboys wish list the last two offseasons, is the same position that’s likely to headline it again in 2025: DT

A good DT can be an anchor in the middle for other positions to play off of. Assessing the play of linebackers, safeties and edge players in 2024, has become almost an impossible task given the struggles at DT. The trickle-down effects of the poor DT play cannot be overstated.

Luckily for the Cowboys, DT is one of the easiest positions to fill in the offseason. Majority of the top-rated DTs in the league today have either hit free agency or switched teams through free agency at some point in their careers. While it’s a costly position to fill, it’s a position that’s readily available to DT-needy teams willing to spend and desperate for instant solutions.

DT is an unpredictable position to draft and often takes time to develop. Players rarely hit the ground running so if any position is worth paying for in free agency, it’s the one. But we’ve been down this road before. Recommendations, cause and effect explanations, and not-so-polite “I told you sos.”

At the end of the day, Jerry Jones just needs to charge his tablet.

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These two new Cowboys playmakers join two vets in ‘protect for the long haul’ status

Deep rotations and modest usage rates will be key to keeping Dallas’ most explosive players explosive down the stretch.

The new season is underway, and the Cowboys defense find itself rich in explosive talent. Familiar faces like Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa lived up to their playmaker reputations in Week 1 but new talents like Marist Liufau and DeMarvion Overshown are also flashing as key playmakers for this 2024 campaign.

The quickness and impact of these players cannot be understated. Parsons is widely considered one of, if not, the preeminent pass rusher in the NFL. Odighizuwa is fast becoming one of the league’s top pressure-producing interior defensive linemen. All four are explosive. All four are gamebreakers. All four add a special explosiveness to the Cowboys defense. And all four must be preserved for late in the year.

Liufau was dinged up in Week 1, but the rookie linebacker has shown he’s an explosive second-level defender who has been said to play like his hair is on fire. And Overshown, fresh off an ACL induced redshirt season, appears to be moving at a different speed than the rest of the world.

https://twitter.com/RAanalytics/status/1832924842162897186

Spanning from September through potentially February, the NFL season is a long one. There are 17 regular season games and as many as four postseason games on the slate. Like a marathon, just surviving to the end is a feat onto itself. Players understandably break down.

https://twitter.com/NFL_DougFarrar/status/1833208321995903157

In previous years Parsons and Odighizuwa have both seen their production drop as seasons progress. They have been such critical components to the defense coaches have had a hard time taking them off the field to set a more preservation-focused pace.

A similar situation could be facing the two new guys at linebacker as well. Liufau straight from college, and Overshown straight from IR, are two budding star LBs with only one game on their professional resumes. The riggers of a 17+ game season are going to hit hard this year so the question is how much of a toll will it take?

All four playmakers rely heavily on their explosiveness to be difference makers. Take away that explosiveness late in the season and the Cowboys lose one of their most vital elements at a time when games mean most. Deep rotations and modest usage rates will be key to keeping Dallas’ most explosive players explosive down the stretch.

This might sound like a simple ask but there’s nothing simple about it. Overshown and Liufau instantly make the defense faster which impacts both phases of the game. As some of the smartest players on the roster, they fly to the ball. Overshown specifically looks to be shot out of cannon when in pursuit, doing things other players simply cannot.

Quick play at the second level is critical in stopping dual-threat quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels and Daniel Jones. Those four alone represent 44 percent of the remaining games on the Cowboys regular season schedule. It’s going to be hard putting Overshown on a snap count in these games but for the long-term interest of the club, it’s necessary.

Same goes for Parsons and Odighizuwa. Parsons is by far Dallas’ best edge rusher and with Sam Williams already out for the season, it will be difficult for Mike Zimmer to reduce his snaps. For the good of the postseason, he must. Odighizuwa is by far the Cowboys top interior pass rusher, yet Zimmer must find a way to do the same. He needs late season Odighizuwa looking like early season Odighizuwa and for that to happen, he probably needs a lower pitch count early.

The Cowboys have to find a way to make their January look different this season. They need to keep their eye on prize and that means doing things in the early season so they can be at their best late in the season.

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Cowboys’ newest addition fits defensive puzzle in multiple ways

Adding Linval Joseph, even at 35, gives Dallas a unique interior rotation on paper. If it works, things could get intriguing for Dallas’ defense. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Cowboys must’ve really been impressed with the opposition when they got their lunch handed to them last December. On December 17, Dallas sent their representatives up north to Buffalo for a cool, rainy road trip riding a five-game winning streak, boasting a 10-3 record. In all honesty, the 31-10 shellacking they took at the hands of the Bills was the start of the unraveling of their promising season.

A close, 22-20 loss to Miami the following week made it a losing streak and they escaped by the skin of their teeth at home against Detroit in the now infamous, OL substitution foot shooting by Dan Campbell. Dallas’ lessened ceiling wasn’t masked in a blowout road finale against inept Washington, and the Green Bay Packers marched into AT&T Stadium and jigsawed the Cowboys hopes and dreams in front of the world.

That was the final shot, but the loss to Buffalo was the beginning of the end. And if the two of the three recent DL additions are any indication, that had a profound impact on the way the front office wanted to put the puzzle pieces together for 2024. On Wednesday, Dallas acquired a second Bills defensive lineman from that day, inking free agent Linval Joseph.

“Breaking: I’m told the #Cowboys are signing DT Linval Joseph, per source. – Josina Anderson

Dallas will have recently acquired two veteran interior defenders to rotate with 3T Osa Odighizuwa, and 1T Mazi Smith.

Last week, Dallas traded for Jordan Phillips, who had signed with the New York Giants this offseason after being with the Bills for the previous two campaigns.

Phillips, 6-foot-6, 349 pounds, is the bigger of the linemen, but he’s primarily been a 3T his entire career who also is a run stuffer. Joseph is a former second-round pick of the Giants… from 2010. He’s going to enter his 15th season in the league and will be the Cowboys’ second oldest player at 35, four days younger than punter Bryan Anger.

Joseph played for Mike Zimmer in Minnesota from 2014 through 2019, and has also spent time in LA with the Chargers (2 seasons) and Philadelphia (one season) before landing in Buffalo last season.

He played in seven games and had 12 tackles and one sack.

Zimmer must be reminiscing somewhat about the days of old when he had the No. 1 defense in yards and points with Joseph making the Pro Bowl.

Joseph will rotate with Smith, and possibly could see starter snaps as the first-round pick from 2023 continues to try to acclimate himself to the league and the rigors of the NFL. It hasn’t been a smooth beginning for Smith, who has made progress from last season and has likely changed targets for what would be considered short-term success in his second season.

Smith played behind another elder statesman, Johnathan Hankins, last season. Hankins was allowed to leave the club and signed with the Seattle Seahawks in free agency.

Zimmer will now be able to deploy a rotation of three functional 320-to-340 pound interior defenders, along with Odighizuwa at 285 pounds as the pass-rush specialist. It gives him numerous intriguing possibilities along with defensive ends DeMarcus Lawrence, Marshawn Kneeland and Chauncey Golston who can rotate inside as well.

Combined with the chess piece of Micah Parsons and what might be the league’s deepest secondary, things could quickly come together.

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Cowboys trade for intriguing 3-tech stiffens run defense from pass-rush position

Jordan Phillips will improve the Cowboys run defense from a pass rushing position on the interior. | From @ReidDHanson

When the Cowboys acquired Jordan Phillips from the Giants via trade last week, common sentiment was the 6-foot-6, 341-pound defensive tackle would be in the 1-tech rotation with Mazi Smith. Size and stoutness are the primary trait of a good NFL nosetackle and since Phillips qualifies as one of the biggest and strongest humans on the planet, the assumption was understandable.

Recent statements have indicated that is in fact not the destination for the nine-year veteran. Despite the gargantuan size, the vast majority of Phillips’ career snaps have come at the 3-tech position. 3-tech is widely considered the primary pass-rushing position from the defensive interior. It’s where the Cowboys Osa Odighizuwa makes his money in Dallas, and where Phillips is slated to land on the 2024 Cowboys.

As one of the top 3-techs in the NFL, Odighizuwa is the clearcut starter inside for Dallas. His issue hasn’t been his ability on the field but rather his ability to hold up throughout an entire season. It was important for the Cowboys to find someone to take some of the weight off his shoulders. They tried with Chauncey Golston in the past and now they’re trying with the newly added Phillips.

At 280-pounds, Odighizuwa is a somewhat undersized DT in the NFL. The extra 60+ pounds Phillips offers is going to be a huge boost for Dallas run defense. Even though 3-techs are tasked with applying the majority of interior pressure, they have clear run-stopping responsibilities as well.

Mike Zimmer has a history of employing large DTs side by side on his defenses so a combination of Smith and Phillips in the same package isn’t surprising. Zimmer’s ability to dial up blitzes in the A-gaps give him that luxury. It’s an issue discussed in the past and a reason Micah Parsons has been frequently seen playing off-ball inside the box.

“I don’t care about stats, people look at stats and think you have a great game,” Phillips said. “For me as long as my linebackers are making All-Pro, Pro Bowler, I did my job for the year. They didn’t do that by themselves, I kept people off them and, on the way, I’m getting some sacks and tackles.”

The Cowboys have an explosive young LB corps heading into 2024. If they can be kept clean and allowed to operate, the sky is the limit for this bunch. Having the girth inside at tackle to occupy blockers has to be music to their ears.

Odighizuwa hasn’t been poor at that, he’s just somewhat limited with his size. Saving him for primarily passing downs won’t just put him in the best position to succeed, but it will also keep him fresh throughout the course of a season. It doesn’t mean Phillips will only play rushing downs and Odighizuwa will only play passing downs, just that Zimmer can lean to that direction when dividing snaps.

The addition of Phillips deepens the 3-tech rotation for Dallas. It gives the Cowboys another pass-rusher and pocket-collapser on the interior and also beefs up the run defense from a position typically associated with the pass rush.

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First-Curl Problems: Cowboys have issue converting pressures into sacks

The Cowboys defense has been lights out applying pressure but fallen short in turning those pressures into sacks. | From @ReidDHanson

One of the most polarizing arguments in football is the value of a pressure versus the value of a sack. Sacks are the goal and a pressure without a sack is just a failed attempt at reaching said goal. The other side argues sacks are more a byproduct of quarterback play than a show of defensive execution. And that a pressure has hidden value, not as easily measured as a sack.

According to the second side of the argument, a pressured quarterback may rush a pass for an incompletion, throw it away, or even toss an interception. Pressures often lead to very good things for the defense, even if the quarterback keeps avoiding sacks. It should by no means be seen as a failure for the defense.

A missed opportunity? Sure, but not a failure.

The Cowboys are coming off a season where, per PFF tracking, they had the highest pressure rate in the NFL. Unfortunately, their pressure-to-sack conversion rate fell well below league average, causing them to finish 14th overall in sacks. They appear to be the poster children for missed opportunities.

Sacks have significant value. Based on 12 years of NFL data, Eric Eager concluded the average sack has an EPA/play value of -1.856. That’s considerably more than plays with simple pressures which averaged only -0.074. Keep in mind, that EPA number includes the interceptions and incompletions caused by the pressure. Pressures are great, but they pale in comparison to sacks.

So, it’s understandable many want to blame the Cowboys defense for these missed opportunities. Even though sacks are notoriously unstable year-to-year, the best pressure team in the NFL should surely finish above 14th in overall in sacks (46).

Interior pressure has been a noticeable issue for the Cowboys in recent seasons and unless Mike Zimmer schemes something to correct it, it could be an issue again in 2024. With the exception of Osa Odighizuwa, no one has been able to offer consistent pressure inside. That’s inexcusable on a team that features someone like Micah Parsons, a player who commands double and even triple teams on passing downs.

At 59% as a unit, the Cowboys lead the NFL in Pass-rush-win-rate (PRWR). Each outlet measures pressure their own way. ESPN’s PRWR speaks to the speed in which pressure is applied rather than the quality or the likelihood it can result in a sack. In other words, it has faults. Regardless, speed pressure creates ample opportunity for cleanup sacks, which is an area the Cowboys often fall short of expectations.

Luckily turnovers have been a beneficial byproduct of the pressure the Cowboys have been bringing. Dallas finished with 17 interceptions last season, just squeezing into the top-10. They had 16 the season before and a league-leading 26 the season before that (2021). Pressure certainly had a hand in that.

It’s not out of bounds to say the Cowboys have an issue converting pressures into sacks. There’s no question the Cowboys have left some meat on the bone when hunting for passers. The missed opportunities are undeniable, and EPA data shows it’s to a rather significant degree.

Since sacks are unstable year to year, this could all change in a blink. Yet the Cowboys have consistently ranked near the top of the NFL in pressures over the last three seasons but only ranked above 14th in sacks, once (2022).

It’s an issue worth monitoring and something that should be at the top of Mike Zimmer’s list in training camp this summer.

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‘Parsons Effect’ is something Cowboys must capitalize on in 2024

The Cowboys have to get more from their other pass rushers with Micah Parsons demanding so much attention from offenses. | From @ReidDHanson

Micah Parsons demands attention. Posting 13 or more sacks in each of his first three seasons in Dallas, Parsons is on a historic pace. Only 14 players have posted more 13-plus sack seasons than him in a career, and just three of them have eclipsed five.

Very few players, if any, bring the level of gravity Parsons brings to the field. Offenses scheme for him on nearly every play. They identify and often roll protection into his direction, chip blocking him, double teaming him and sometimes even triple teaming him into neutralization. They seemingly do it all and it still doesn’t stop the Cowboys All-Pro edge rusher.

According to ESPN’s pass rush win rate (PRWR) Parsons was the No. 1 edge in the NFL in 2023, a full five percent higher than second place Myles Garrett. He was also double-teamed at the highest rate, a full six percent more often than second place Garrett.

His mere presence on the field opens up near countless opportunities for his teammates, yet no returning teammate managed to post more than four sacks alongside Parsons in 2023. It’s tragedy that must be fixed in 2024.

The Cowboys aren’t exactly devoid of talent alongside Parsons. DeMarcus Lawrence and Osa Odighizuwa are both well regarded defensive linemen in Dallas, with the former coming off his fourth Pro Bowl season. Given the number of opportunities Parsons is creating, it’s difficult to explain how the two only combined for seven sacks.

The interior specifically is somewhere where Parsons opens opportunities. Playing wide on the EDGE, Parsons will often take wide angles as he rounds the pocket and reaches for the passer. The quarterback’s only way of survival in instances such as this is to step up in the pocket. It’s these situations where someone from the defensive interior has to step up and make a play.

There’s a reason teams like the Ravens repeatedly rank near the top of the league in sacks – it’s because there’s seemingly always a second rusher in position to clean up after the initial pressure player flushes the pocket.

Mike Zimmer, the Cowboys new defensive coordinator, might pay off enormously in this facet of the game. Zimmer doesn’t shy away from the blitz and is fairly well known for his blitzes up the middle. Using formations like a BEAR front and using second level players as pass rushers, Zimmer likes to send static into the heart of the pocket.

Since many opportunities are created after Parsons applies primary pressure, it isn’t necessary for these other pass rushers to win with their first moves. Try-hard players who pass rush with a plan can win with secondary and tertiary moves. Considering this, it’s easy to see why Dallas drafted players who were cited to have a “relentless motor” or “high effort.” They deliver the clean-up sacks Parsons creates.

Keeping Parsons on the move will help keep teams from so easily scheming against him. A deeper pass rush arsenal with fewer rip moves, that never produce holding calls, is also a great way to get more from the All-Pro Parsons. But at some point, others have to step up.

Defensive linemen across the NFL would love to have someone like Parsons on their team. His gravity pulls the attention of the offense and opens opportunities for everyone else on defense.

Can players like DeMarcus Lawrence take advantage of it? Can players like Sam Williams and Odighizuwa take the next step in their development and feast on it? Can Zimmer scheme pressure up the middle to take full advantage of it?

These are all questions that need to be answered in 2024 and with any luck, the answer to all is a firm “yes.”

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Osa Odighizuwa named Cowboys’ most underrated player

The Cowboys’ defensive tackle doesn’t rack up the volume stats, but his impact is tangible nonetheless. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It’s pretty difficult to fly under the radar as a member of America’s Team. The Dallas Cowboys spend the entire calendar year in the spotlight. Even when there’s nothing actually happening with the team, the networks find a way to shoehorn the Cowboys into the conversation.

There’s good reason, of course. The Cowboys drive ratings. The most popular franchise in the NFL is also the most hated, with very few fans not wanting to witness and root for their preferred result. So with that, there’s a certain level of celebrity most players achieve and often those players are considered (by some) overrated based on how much they are talked about.

But Osa Odighizuwa is a different thing altogether. On a defense with the best defender in the game in Micah Parsons, and two corners who have set NFL milestones in Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland, it’s easy to overlook Odighizuwa. That’s especially true because he hasn’t accrued a ton of sacks in his career.

But make no mistake, offensive linemen are well aware of how good he is, as explained by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar in his compilation of the most underrated player on all 32 clubs.

Micah Parsons is the superstar of the Cowboys’ defensive fronts, but it’s unwise to underestimate Odighizuwa, who Dallas selected in the third round of the 2021 draft out of UCLA. Odighizuwa has never had a season in which he’s created less than 38 total pressures, which he did in each of his first two NFL seasons, and he upped that to 44 pressures (along with three sacks) last season.

Whether he’s playing in the B-gaps or over the tackles, Odighizuwa has become a consistent, dynamic pressure creator who’s especially conversant with taking interior offensive linemen, walking them back into the pocket, and dumping them on the ground on the way to the quarterback.

https://twitter.com/NFL_DougFarrar/status/1793412204903227495

Cowboys lack of capital spent at DT continues to rear ugly head

A thin defensive tackle room with very little salary cap hits makes this group a candidate to be remade with proper investments. | From @ArmyChiefW3

While the Cowboys’ defensive end group takes up a large portion of salary cap space, the opposite can be said of the big boys inside. With a new defensive coordinator, the importance of having guys who can anchor and occupy both players and space is invaluable.

Dallas ranked 27th in the league in ESPN’s run-stop-win-rate, which takes several things into account such as disrupting the running lane, pushing blockers backwards, or recording a tackle within three yards of the line of scrimmage. The nuances of the game make it hard to calculate no matter how much we compartmentalize. A large collection of data is a good indicator that a player is executing his instructions but without knowing the called assignment, an interpretation can be tough. No matter how the team gauges prospects, bodies are needed at the position.

9 Cowboys who could follow Dan Quinn to Washington in next 2 years

It’s common practice for players to follow a coach to a new venue. Which defenders could trail Quinn to the east coast? | From @KDDrummondNFL

One would imagine that a ton of Cowboys defenders enjoyed their time under Dan Quinn’s leadership. His ability to motivate and lead is often cited as his best quality, and that’s for a defensive coordinator who has had three straight top-five defenses in Dallas on top of back-to-back No. 1 defenses in Seattle. In between was a stint as head coach of Atlanta that included a trip to the Super Bowl without having a top defense.

So it stands to reason, with a new franchise QB incoming and a ton of cap space, Washington is going to be an intriguing destination for Quinn’s disciples. Some will be able to join him this year, others will have to wait a year until their contracts expire. Here’s a look at two years worth of Cowboys free agents who could end up following Quinn to the nation’s capital.

 

4 key matchups for Panthers vs. Cowboys in Week 11

Donte Jackson has been playing some of the best ball of his career lately. The Panthers will need more of it on Sunday against the Cowboys.

Let’s just be straight up—the Carolina Panthers will need a lot of factors to fall in their favor to pull off an upset on Sunday. Heck, we’ll even give you four as we head into kickoff later this afternoon.

Here are the key matchups for the Week 11 clash with the Dallas Cowboys: