Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys are once again facing scrutiny for a head-scratching Osa Odighizuwa trade that sent one of their most productive defensive linemen to an NFC rival. In return, Dallas received a third-round pick in 2026 (92nd overall). Although Jones shared his reasons, not everyone in the league agrees that parting with 17 career sacks and 216 tackles was a good idea.

“As for the Cowboys, there is something amusing about their quest to improve at defensive tackle,” ESPN analyst Seth Walder wrote in his article. “They used two massive trades — the Micah Parsons deal that netted them Kenny Clark and the acquisition of Quinnen Williams at the deadline — but are now opting to send away Odighizuwa, a good player and the youngest of the three.”

“I would actually argue that they are trading the wrong player.”

Last season, Odighizuwa only had 3.5 sacks with the Cowboys, but his other numbers for the past two years tell a different story. Since 2024, his 112 QB pressures ranked third among all defensive tackles, trailing only All-Pros Zach Allen and Chris Jones. And last year, he recorded 52 pressures, which ranked 6th among all NFL defensive tackles. Other than that, his 10.0% pass rush win rate in 2025 was the 5th highest at his position. Honestly, it’s a type of resume to drool over.

“Odighizuwa is three years younger than Clark and outperformed him in both win rates and run stop rate last season,” Walder wrote. “Last season, Odighizuwa’s pass rush win rate at defensive tackle ranked well ahead of Clark’s (62nd percentile). His pressure rate was higher, too, and Clark was well below average at run stop rate. And Clark costs almost $5 million more this year.”

The financial layer makes this trade worse. The team is left with a $16 million dead cap charge in 2026 for a player no longer there. And since the move came only once in four years, Odighizuwa’s $80 million contract extension done last year went in vain. The Cowboys saved only $4.75 million in 2026 cap space, a relatively small amount compared to the talent lost.

Sure, the trade helped the team get the third-round pick in 2026 (92nd overall). Critics argue that trading a proven starter for a college pick doesn’t justify a “win-now” mentality. Because of those factors, Walder graded the trade as a “C+.” Seth Walder’s recent evaluations did not criticize only Osa Odighizuwa. The ESPN analyst also aimed at the Cincinnati Bengals for handing a two-year, $26 million deal to defensive tackle Jonathan Allen.

He slapped the action with a harsh D grade. Walder argued the numbers simply do not justify the price anymore, with just 3.5 sacks last season. For a player now 31, Walder believes Cincinnati is paying for past reputation rather than current production.

Jerry Jones explains why the Cowboys moved on from Osa Odighizuwa

Last March, the Dallas Cowboys invested heavily in defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, giving him a four-year, $80 million contract with $39 million guaranteed right away and $52 million total guaranteed. Naturally, fans were shocked when Jerry Jones chose to trade him during free agency. As it is, their dead cap space creates a hindrance for them. But surprisingly, Jones has a different point of view on this.

“We needed to spread it around a little bit on what we have available to us with (the salary cap),” Jones said. “More importantly, we can put it in some places that probably get more mileage out of what it’s done. That’s not taking anything away from him individually, but we’ve got two outstanding football players (Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark), we have other backup players, plus we don’t want to rule out drafting a player. So, we thought that was the best move.”

Another reason this trade makes sense is because of the Cowboys’ new defensive coordinator. Christian Parker wants to incorporate 3-4 schemes into the defense. In this new setup, Odighizuwa’s size becomes a concern.

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It wouldn’t suit Odighizuwa’s “one-gap penetrator” system. With new additions Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams, the Cowboys felt they had a jam in that position. Hence, chose to work with the larger, more traditional 3-4 linemen over the more explosive Odighizuwa. That being said, Odighizuwa excels in different areas. He is best as a dynamic 3-technique who quickly targets one gap and disrupts the quarterback’s space.