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Cowboys Debate Update On 'Must-Sign' Status of Osa

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Landon Holifield | Last updated Feb 26, 2025 5:48 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys are - or at least should be - in a “win it window.” There is no reason to pay a quarterback the largest salary in NFL history without truly following that up with maximum effort to succeed across the rest of the roster.

Dak Prescott has his $60 million per year salary. But he needs something else: More top-notch talent.

Meanwhile, owner Jerry and Stephen Jones have their needs as well.

And those needs are two-fold.

One, Dallas still employs some of the foundational pieces that helped it win 12 games per season for three straight years. Want to win 12 again? Sign the guys who helped you do that.

Two, if the Cowboys are to be seen as a "serious'' franchise, spending is required. That goes hand-in-glove with Dallas taking care of its own players.

So spending big on veteran free agent Osa Odighizuwa? He is a "must-sign.''

The Cowboys have always been keen on drafting, developing, and keeping their own. So with Osa bursting onto the scene lately, his retention feels like a no-brainer. ...

Except for the money.

The issue is, he might command somewhere north of $20 million per year, making him a first-wave free agent. ... Which, historically isn't where the Jones' prefer to operate.

But it seems as if they're thinking along the same lines we are.

The Joneses have said all of the right things about changing their shopping habits this year, especially as the cat is out of the bag, with the whole NFL world now reporting what we've been telling you for sixth months: Dallas has access to $100 million in cap room.

This week, COO Stephen even used the phrase "selectively aggressive'' to describe the planned approach.

That's not inactivity. That's not passivity. That means buying players.

The Cowboys have a worthy-if-expensive guinea pig sitting in their laps. By signing a known quantity, they minimize risk and eliminate the waiting game by spending big on a player who is ready to go right now.

There is a 6-2, 280-pound proving ground waiting to be utilized. And it's name is ... Osa Odighizuwa.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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