The San Francisco 49ers are enhancing their defensive front.
On Wednesday afternoon, the team disclosed that the 49ers completed a transaction to acquire defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. As compensation, the 49ers will provide the Dallas Cowboys with a third-round draft selection in 2026.
Additionally, the Cowboys finalized an agreement on Wednesday to transfer defensive lineman Solomon Thomas and a seventh-round pick to the Tennessee Titans, in return for a different seventh-round pick.
Odighizuwa recorded 44 overall tackles and 3.5 sacks during the previous season, marking his fifth year in the professional league. The 27-year-old has shown remarkable reliability on Dallas’s defensive line ever since his selection in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft from UCLA. From his second professional year onward, he has consistently achieved a minimum of three sacks and 40 tackles annually. The Cowboys secured Odighizuwa with an $80 million, four-year contract extension last year.
This transaction represents the second notable move by the Cowboys regarding their defensive personnel this offseason. Just last week, they acquired Green Bay Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary; this transfer was formally confirmed on Wednesday with the commencement of the new league year. The 28-year-old accumulated 45 total tackles and 7.5 sacks in Green Bay during the prior season.
The exchange on Wednesday involving the 49ers now provides Dallas with an additional selection within the top 100 choices for the upcoming NFL Draft later this spring. They possessed the 12th and 20th overall picks already, yet previously lacked any second or third-round picks due to past deals for George Pickens and Quinnen Williams. San Francisco is transferring the 92nd overall draft selection to Dallas as compensation for Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa is set to become part of a 49ers squad aiming to contend within a highly competitive NFC West division. Last season, they achieved a 12-5 record and secured second place in their division, ultimately being defeated by the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to win the Super Bowl, during the divisional playoff round. Odighizuwa is expected to deliver a substantial enhancement to their defensive line this upcoming autumn.
