Cincinnati Bengals Free Agency Preview: Osa Odighizuwa is Top of DT Class and Should Ignite a Bidding War

Jay Morrison | Feb 20, 2025

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) is tackled by Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – One of the biggest wildcards when looking at free agent options is year is the chance that a player with an expiring contract may not become available, whether due to receiving the franchise tag or an extension from his current team.

But when it comes to eyeing potential defensive tackle fits for the Cincinnati Bengals, there is a good chance the top player at the position – at least according to Pro Football Focus’ list of Top 100 free agents – is going to have a chance to test the market.

Osa Odighizuwa isn’t likely to receive the franchise tag given the huge number that would require, and the Dallas Cowboys could have trouble re-signing him as they rank 26th in effective available cap space at just $1.7 million.

And Micah Parson is still looking for an extension.

Odighizuwa comes in at No. 30 overall on PFF’s Top 100 list, just two spots ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Milton Williams.

Returning to his Southwest Ohio roots (he was born in Dayton) could be an attractive option for Odighizuwa, whom the Cowboys took in the third round in 2021 out of UCLA.

Odighizuwa, who will turn 27 in August, has started all 17 games each of the last three seasons, and he’s coming off a career high 4.5 sacks in 2024 after recording three in 2023 and four in 2022.

He made 12 starts as a rookie.

PFF is high on Odighizuwa’s upside because his pass rush productivity has been impressive despite a lack of eye-popping sack numbers.

“Odighizuwa is another interior pass-rusher with very strong underlying metrics that haven’t quite translated to major sack production through nearly four seasons,” according to PFF. “While the Dallas Cowboys’ season fell off the rails as injuries piled up, Odighizuwa stayed the course and played some of the best ball of his career over the second half of the campaign. (He) is quietly one of the more underrated defenders across the NFL.”

A three-time high school state wrestling champion in Oregon, Odighizuwa ranked third out of 47 qualifying defensive tackles in pass-rush win rate in 2024 (15.1 percent).

Hill, for comparison’s sack, was 34th (8.4).

97 - Osa Odighizuwa vs Washington in Wk 12 (7 QB Pressures) pic.twitter.com/a8tQgvKNPg

— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) February 19, 2025

Odighizuwa was in the bottom half of the league as a run defender, ranking 43rd of 73.

Hill was 14th.

The big question for the Bengals, as is always the case, is what kind of offers there will be for Odighizuwa, who had five pressures, three hits and two hurries in Dallas’ Week 14 loss to the Bengals.

Cincinnati has plenty of cap space available, but if the team plans on re-signing Tee Higgins in addition to extending Ja’Marr Chase and, possibly, Tee Higgins, don’t look for the Bengals to make the type of splash signing Odighizuwa would be.

Spotrac.com projects Odighizuwa’s next contract to be three years for $63 million.

PFF’s projection comes in at four years, $85 million.

Even if the Bengals are interested, they likely would tap out well before it close to that, regardless of what they do with the big three question marks in Chase, Higgins and Hendrickson.

Odighizuwa’s older brother Owamagbe played two seasons for the New York Giants and was the No. 74 pick in the 2015 draft.

Osa was the No. 75 pick in 2021.

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