The 49ers have been focusing on the offense so far in free agency, with all three of their players bolstering their offense, but they have reportedly made inquiries about a trade that would significantly bolster their defensive front.
Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Tuesday that the 49ers have called the Dallas Cowboys about potentially trading defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
advertise
San Francisco needs to improve its interior pass rush this offseason. While Alfred Collins and C.J. West made huge strides in their rookie years, the 49ers’ interior pass rush is woefully lacking in 2025, exacerbating San Francisco’s troubles generating pressure on the edge after Nick Bosa left the game with a torn ACL.
Odigizwa will significantly improve San Francisco’s ability to disrupt the quarterback with interior rushes.
In fact, Odigizwa made a huge impact in that regard for the Cowboys last year. According to Pro Football Focus, despite only having 3.5 sacks, he ranked sixth among interior defensive linemen with at least 100 pass rush snaps and 52 pressures, and ranked 10th in pass rush win rate at 13.6 percent.
advertise
In other words, the 49ers will be adding a defensive tackle who was a top-10 interior pass rusher last season by these standards.
Odigizwa is entering the second year of a four-year, $80 million contract he signed with the Cowboys last offseason.
According to Harris, Dallas met with Odigizwa’s representatives from the Scouting Federation to discuss a contract restructuring. His 2026 salary cap hit is $20.75 million.
The reshuffling is not complete yet, and with Dallas adding Otito Ogbonya to the defensive tackle room, along with Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark, the 49ers may be able to offer Odigizwa more playing time than he received in Dallas.
advertise
San Francisco’s decision to hire Matt Eberflus as its new assistant head coach/defense also makes the 49ers a potential landing spot for Odighizuwa. Eberflus was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator last season.
One possible issue is Odigizwa coming from Dallas deploying a three-man forward defense.
However, the 49ers’ frontcourt could become more diverse with Raheem Morris as defensive coordinator, according to David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard and John Lynch of The Associated Press.
Lynch said:
“We were a four-man forward team, but last year we dabbled in a lot of five-man forward. Raheem did a lot more of that because he did some 3-4 stuff, so there will be some different sizes and stuff, but just small tweaks. The positive thing for me is it expands the sample size [of prospective players]. That guy isn’t there because we thought he was more of a 3-4 outside linebacker and maybe now he has a spot. “
However, Odigizwa has also played as part of a front four, and his performance as a defender who blends violent hands with quick bursts of speed doesn’t suggest he won’t be able to transition to San Francisco’s defense.
advertise
The 49ers’ defensive tackle depth chart is sparse. In addition to Collins and West, the only players they have under contract at this position are Sebastian Valdez and Evan Anderson, both of whom are futures contracts. They chose not to tender Kaliyah Davis and didn’t bring back Kevin Givens, while Jordan Elliott signed with the Tennessee Titans.
Simply put, the 49ers are overhauling their interior defense, and the addition of Odigizwa will put them in a better position to rush the passer, and the prospect of him playing alongside Mikel Williams as part of the 49ers’ NASCAR plans is very enticing.
Of course, the Niners won’t be keen on giving up too many picks this year, as all seven of their picks are within the top 150, and Odighizuwa’s price is expected to be higher. He will earn a base salary of $20 million in 2027 and 2028. However, since none of that money is guaranteed, the negative impact of a potential trade is limited given the much-needed pass-rush upside Odighizuwa brings.
