Dallas City News

The deficiencies on the Dallas Cowboys roster are well-documented at this point. Who will be the starting RB? Who is WR3? Why didn’t they do anything at the defensive tackle spot? All these questions are valid, and will need answers if this year’s version of the Cowboys are going to be able to elevate their game to new heights this season.

However, the last one probably rings the most important, and is why Osa Odighizuwa is going to be a huge key factor in the success this season.

Osa Odighizuwa is needed in a big way in 2024

The front half of the 2023 season felt like a coming-out party for Odighizuwa. Many people around the league nationally began to speak about his play, and it was warranted after starting the first two weeks of the season with three sacks, three tackles for loss, and four QB hits.

However, the back end didn’t match, and that, among other things, coincided with the Cowboys defense tailing off and looking like the group that ultimately got run out of their own building by the Packers.

After tallying three sacks, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits in the first six weeks of the year, Odighizuwa didn’t get another sack for the rest of the year and only added four tackles for loss and seven QB hits for the last 11 games. The production slipped, and it was noticeable.

The Cowboys had trouble stopping the run and couldn’t get off the field in key situations. A lot of that may have to do with players fading in the back half of the season due to injury, fatigue, the scheme being solved, or whatever. The point is, they need to find the answer to stop the bleeding in 2024.

With the hope that Mazi Smith evolves in Year 2, and only a seventh-round selection being used on Justin Rogers to help the position in this year’s draft, the hope, probably more than ever, is that Odighizuwa can be a dominant piece in the middle.

Odighizuwa has proven he can rush the passer. At times he has been dominant in stopping the run, but being able to do it on a more consistent, reliable basis is what is going to help this Cowboys defense be what many hope they can be.

New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is expected to come in and have the players more sound in their assignments, but the reality is no one else is likely coming that will make a big difference. It is going to take guys like Odighizuwa and others to step up and elevate their game if this team is going to be any different than what we saw at the end of last season.

It’s a lot to ask of one guy, but the Cowboys front office has made it clear that they like their guys, and will be looking for those on the roster to step up. And in the case of Odighizuwa, no one elevating their game in that group may help more than him.