The Dallas Cowboys have been busy behind the scenes.
Making not one but two defensive line trades in a single day as they look to reshape their roster, grab draft picks, and free up salary cap space heading into the offseason.
Trade 1 — Cowboys send Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco
Per Jordan Schultz, Dallas is trading DT Osa Odighizuwa to the 49ers in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick. The Cowboys signed Odighizuwa to a 4-year, $80M extension just last March, but will clear $16 million in cap space by moving on from him.
Trade 2 — Cowboys send Solomon Thomas to Tennessee
Per Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo, and Tom Pelissero Dallas is also trading DL Solomon Thomas to the Titans. The two teams are swapping seventh-round picks as part of the deal.
The Odighizuwa deal is the one that turns heads.
It’s rare for a team to move a player just months after handing him a massive extension, but Dallas appears willing to take the hit in order to recover cap flexibility and add a meaningful draft pick.
The 49ers get a proven interior pass rusher who should fit well in their defensive scheme.
The Thomas trade is a smaller move but tells the same story.
Dallas is trimming its defensive line and collecting picks while it can. Thomas has been a solid depth piece throughout his career and should give Tennessee some useful rotation snaps.
Taken together, these deals suggest the Cowboys are serious about overhauling their defense.
Whether they use the freed up cap space to pursue a free agent pass rusher, look to the draft, or both.
Something is clearly being built behind the scenes in Dallas. Stay tuned.
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