Cowboys brass should think twice before bringing this defender back

It’s officially the offseason in the NFL. Coaching staffs are being rounded out. Players are being released, and others signed to futures contracts or early extensions.

Not that the Cowboys would know anything about signing players early before the market skyrockets. Jerry Jones and the front office are notorious for dragging out contract negotiations that surely started with a low ball offer.

Star EDGE Micah Parsons is out here making public requests to the Cowboys’ front office to get his deal done NOW. He wants the Cowboys to be aggressive in free agency and build a roster similarly to Howie Roseman in Philadelphia.

I don’t believe anyone has had the opportunity to ask Jerry or Stephen Jones about Micah’s comments, but you can bet your bottom dollar that will be the first question asked when the opportunity arises.

What is the hold up? Is it really the Jones’ not prioritizing a contract that they should want to get done sooner than later, or is it Micah’s agent holding up the negotiations?

We won’t know the answer to that question any time soon. No matter, we are here today to talk about another young player on defense set to be a free agent: DT Osa Odighizuwa.

Most see Osa as a priority re-signing for the Cowboys, and my colleague at Inside The Star, Cody Warren, so kindly detailed to us all the reasons why it’s a good move.

I might have a little bit of a hot take here, but I’m not so sure that it would be worth it for the Cowboys to bring Osa back to the team, and I have my own reasons why.

Is There Enough Pie?

Hold on. Before you throw your beverage at me, hear me out. According to spotrac.com, Osa Odighizuwa is projected to command a contract in the range of 3yr/$63 million, or $21 million annually.

Here is a list of other impact defensive tackles who are in the same range of average annual salary:

• DeForest Buckner, Indianapolis ($23 million)
• DaRon Payne, Washington ($22.5 million)
• Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants ($21.875 million)
• Kenny Clark, Green Bay ($21.33 million)
• Javon Hargrave, San Francisco ($21 million)
• Christian Barmore, New England ($20.875 million)

Osa’s $21 million per year projection is just an estimate, and the way the Cowboys do business will drive that price up higher before it’s all said and done.

How can you justify Osa being paid the same or more than the other defensive tackles on this list? I know contract extensions are projections for the future, but this doesn’t help the Cowboys now or in the future.

Maybe if they knew how to structure deals like other teams successful in free agency, they could make the money work.

There Could Be More Bang For the Buck

There are other defensive tackles in free agency who can have near the same impact as Osa for a fraction of the price.

What if I told you...