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The Dallas Cowboys plan to use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa if a long-term deal is not reached by Tuesday’s deadline, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano on Sunday.
The franchise tag for defensive tackles is projected at $25.1 million.
If the Cowboys tag Odighizuwa, it would be the seventh time in the last eight years they opted for the franchise tag. The last two players tagged, running back Tony Pollard (2023) and tight end Dalton Schultz (2022), did not sign long-term extensions and left the next year via free agency. The Cowboys were able to sign Dak Prescott (2020-21) and DeMarcus Lawrence (2018-19) to long term deals after they used the tag a second time.
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Teams have until Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to place the tag on their pending free agents.
A third-round pick by the Cowboys in 2021 out of UCLA, Odighizuwa, 26, has not missed a game in his career (67 straight with 63 starts).
He had his best season in 2024 with a career-high 4.5 sacks, 47 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass deflection. He was credited with 54 pressures, second on the Cowboys to Micah Parsons.
At 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, Odighizuwa relies more on leverage and quickness than brute strength, but he can hold up well enough in the run game. He played a career-high 860 snaps (77.9%) in 2024.
He has 172 tackles and 13.5 sacks in his four NFL seasons.
ESPN’s Todd Archer contributed to this report.
