Category: Dollars cowboys

 

Don’t look now, but the Dallas Cowboys are boasting a defense that has flipped the switch during the back end of the 2024 season, and that’s thanks in large part to contributions from depth players asked to step up due to injury, but also from cornerstone players like Micah Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa.

 

And both Parsons and Odighizuwa had a field day in the upset of the Panthers in Carolina.

 

“As a veteran guy, [Osa] just consistently keeps making jumps,” said Parsons. “He keeps getting better. … I just see a guy that comes in every day and maximizes his potential — being a leader and a vocal leader, at that. He demands the best and greatness from everyone.

 

“Am I surprised? No. Am I happy for him? I’m super excited. He makes my job easier. … I can’t speak for anyone who’s a better person than Osa.”

 

In all, it was an afternoon that saw the Cowboys’ defense maul former first-overall pick Bryce Young, mostly stifling him on the heels of a stretch that saw him build confidence against playoff contenders leading into the Week 15 matchup against Dallas.

 

Young was sacked six times, intercepted twice and the Cowboys recovered both of their forced fumbles — Parsons and Odighizuwa combining for three sacks six quarterback hits.

 

The latter had four quarterback hits on his own, and continues to prove he’s one of the best defensive tackles in the entire league.

 

“There’s still so much to play for, whether things are going well or not,” said Odighizuwa. “With that in mind, we’ve just gotta keep approaching it the same way whether it’s going good or not. There’s only one way to approach it, and that’s the right way.”

 

Even more impressive for Mike Zimmer’s defensive group is in how they were able to bottle up Young without the aid of DeMarvion Overshown, who suffered a season-ending knee injury six days prior in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

 

In his absence, others like Marist Liufau and Eric Kendricks ratcheted up the intensity to keep the linebackers’ corp impactful (read: game-changing), and the efforts of the front seven were married perfectly to a strong, even if not perfect, outing from the secondary (e.g., Jourdan Lewis’ pass break up on Adam Thielen leading to Kendricks grabbing one of the two aforementioned interceptions).

 

“I feel like we did a good job of playing complementary football and giving the offense as many chances to get on the board as possible,” said Odighizuwa.

 

Parsons agrees wholeheartedly.

 

“We’ve just got to keep stepping up. This was a good team. They gave the Eagles a fight, the Chiefs and the Broncos. We didn’t want to come in here and take them lightly because of the film they put out there. We’ve just gotta ways to keep putting it together. We’ve got a[nother] explosive team next week, too.”

 

The Panthers struggled to run the ball, Chuba Hubbard failing to run for more than 40 yards, and Young could scarcely get much going in the air, save for a chunk play or two at varying points in the game and, all told, the Panthers could only muster XX points on the afternoon.

 

Parsons and Odighizuwa made sure to set the tone early, and often, and it’s something they’ve been doing for weeks now.

 

And that is an energy they expect to bring all the way to season’s end.

 

The Cowboys have plenty of valuable players set to hit the open market next spring.

 

While the Dallas Cowboys are still mathematically alive to make the playoffs this season, they should realistically start to turn their attention to next year. One more loss will all but knock Dallas out of the playoff race, proving the mid-season hole they dug themselves was too deep to climb out of.

 

With the future in mind, today we look at two impending free agents the Cowboys should prioritize bringing back at season’s end.

 

 

2024 has been a rough season for veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The 31-year-old, who Dallas traded for two offseasons ago, has battled a knee injury and infection all season, limiting him to playing in just five games.

 

Before Cook’s stint on IR, he did not look like the same player we saw last season. In Dallas’ first four games of the season, Cooks caught just nine passes for 91 yards and one touchdown. The veteran lacked the speed and elusiveness we saw during his first season as a Cowboy, and it was clear he was not close to 100%.

 

After missing seven games, Cooks returned to the lineup on Thanksgiving Day against the Giants. The 11-year-pro did not light up the stat sheet, catching just three passes for 16 yards and a touchdown, but two of his receptions turned out to be arguably the most pivotal plays of the entire game.

 

Cooks’ final catch of the day came on third and two after the two-minute warning, sealing a Cowboys’ victory.

 

There’s a decent chance he won’t be back to 100% at all this season, but Cooks showed in his first game back he’s clearly still capable of bringing value to Dallas’ offense.

 

The veteran wideout is a free agent at season’s end, but the Cowboys would be smart to make sure his time in Dallas does not end after this year. While he will turn 32 at the start of next season, Cooks is still a reliable weapon for a Cowboys’ team that doesn’t have very much offensive firepower.

 

If Dallas were to bring Cooks back, it would allow them to focus on other needs with their top picks in the draft. The Cowboys could sure up their offensive or defensive line with their first two picks, and draft a receiver in the third or fourth round to pair with Cooks, Lamb, Tolbert, and Mingo.

 

Spotrac projects Cooks to earn a one-year, $5.2M deal this offseason. If the Cowboys can retain Cooks for anything close to that number, bringing him back on a one- or two-year deal seems like a no-brainer.

 

 

26-year-old defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa tends to be the forgotten man in Dallas’ defense. The UCLA product is currently playing out the final six games of his rookie contract after being selected in the third round back in 2021.

 

While he hasn’t been an All-Pro, Odighizuwa has consistently been a solid member of Dallas’ defensive unit. This season, Odighizuwa is on pace to set career-highs in total pressures (40), QB hurries (27), and sacks (5).

 

While Odighizuwa isn’t as important to Dallas’ defense as guys like Micah Parsons or DeMarcus Lawrence, with the state of the Cowboys’ interior defensive line bringing him back should be a top priority.

 

Second-year defensive tackle Mazi Smith has shown a few positive signs this season but is still a ways away from being a consistent difference-maker. If Dallas were to let Odighizuwa walk, they would almost force themselves into once again spending one of the first two draft picks on a defensive tackle.

 

Even if they were to get Odighizuwa back Dallas would still need help at defensive tackle, but having a solid starter locked up for the foreseeable future would allow the Cowboys some much-needed flexibility with all the holes elsewhere on their roster.

 

Odighizuwa has produced enough to earn himself a multi-year deal likely in the range of $9/$10M a season. The Cowboys would be wise to offer him a two- or three-year deal to keep him in Dallas and avoid having to completely overhaul the defensive tackle position once again.