Dallas Cowboys news: Osa Odighizuwa stays put, CeeDee Lamb restructures and more

As we quickly approach the start of the new NFL year and free agency, the Dallas Cowboys are busy tending to some housekeeping. This week we’ve got news of potential Cowboys free agents getting paid, stars maneuvering money from their contracts to help teammates and a former Cowboys star praising a current one. It should be a busy month for Jerry Jones and crew or at least that’s what fans are hoping. Let’s check out the latest happenings in Big D.

Osa Odighizuwa staying in Big D

The Cowboys’ first big move of the offseason is one that keeps one of their own in town for the foreseeable future. Dallas and defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa have come to terms on a four-year, $80 million deal that includes $58 million guaranteed with a $20 million signing bonus. This is Dallas keeping another one of their homegrown players they’ve developed and invested a lot of time and resources in over the past few years.

"He's a homegrown guy who we think is a really good football player," executive vice president Stephen Jones said last week at the NFL scouting combine.

Getting this deal done avoids the Cowboys needing to use the franchise tag on Odighizuwa, which would’ve been the seventh time in the past eight years they’d done so. The last two players Jerry Jones slapped the tag on were Tony Pollard in 2023 and Dalton Schultz the year before that. Neither would end up signing long-term deals to stay in Dallas.

Odighizuwa was one of the bright spots for the Cowboys defense last season with career highs in total tackles (47), sacks (4.5) and QB hits (23). Playing on the same defensive line with Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence, it’s easy to go unnoticed at times but Odighizuwa has been a solid contributor for Dallas over the last couple of years.

CeeDee Lamb restructures his deal

That’s right, the contract CeeDee Lamb signed last summer is already being restructured. However, it was done in the name of sacrifice so another teammate could get paid. By restructuring Lamb’s deal, the Cowboys will have an extra $20 million to work with this offseason and it allowed them to get DT Osa Odighizuwa’s new contract finalized.

“I want to win. It’s gonna take more than just myself.”

Lamb said this in response to a fan question “such a dum Move” and wanting an answer. So, Lamb gave them what they wanted and it seems sincere. He wants to win. And Lamb is absolutely correct about it taking more than just himself. Hopefully, Jerry Jones sees this and actually takes advantage of one of his star players willingly reworking his contract less than a year after signing an extension.

It’s great that Dallas is able to keep Odighizuwa on the roster but fans want to see the team be more competitive in free agency. Jones doesn’t necessarily need to sign the biggest free agent on the market but let’s see the Cowboys get in the mix at least. Building through the draft is great but strategically adding the right free agents can make the difference in teams contending or floundering like Dallas did last season.

Former Cowboys WR Dez Bryant gives props

Dez Bryant had some great years in Dallas and was part of one of the most controversial calls in NFL playoff history. For those who are still wondering, Dez caught it. More recently, you can catch Bryant on social media giving his views and being critical of the Cowboys when appropriate. However, this time he’s recognized for giving props to a current wideout who wears his old No. 88 jersey.

Bryant is seen on ‘X’ giving it up to CeeDee Lamb after the announcement that he'd restructured his contract to help the team free up some money to sign other players. The salary cap situation in Dallas is tight and Lamb’s unselfish move helped free up $20 million for Jerry Jones to spend this offseason. That money has already gone toward helping keep Osa Odighizuwa in town for a few more years.

A former three-time Pro Bowler, Bryant knows what it’s like to be under that hot spotlight in Big D. Since stepping away from the game almost five years ago, Bryant has been one of the Cowboys’ harshest critics so it means something when he goes out of his way to heap praise on the franchise. The “88 Club” is like a brotherhood in Dallas going back to Bullet Bob Hayes in the 1970s and the Playmaker Michael Irvin in the 90s.