FRISCO, Texas — It's the official start of NFL free agency and that means it's the second chance for the ÃÛÌÒTV to work toward improving the roster, the first being their ability to secure premium in-house talent, namely Osa Odighizuwa, and to then bolster the 3-tech (right of center) position that much more by signing Solomon Thomas.
Thomas, a former third-overall pick of the San Francisco who most recently spent time with Aaron Whitecotton and the New York Jets, reunites with Whitecotton in Dallas — the newest defensive line coach of the Cowboys.
The immediate follow-up swing to both of those moves was to secure another former first-round pick by way of defensive end Payton Turner, but objectivity means pointing out there's more work to be done to be certain the defensive line is completely solidified for 2025.
This is particularly true when considering the potential exit of four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, a player who is still one of the best in the league at sealing the edge against the run and, let's be honest, the Cowboys have had trouble not being a wet paper bag against the opponent's rushing attack — more often than not.
Thomas and Turner will at least provide depth at two different positions on the D-line, with Thomas having the opportunity to make the biggest impact of the two.
His presence will permit Odighizuwa rest when it's needed, because though Odighizuwa is one of the most fine-tuned athletes and physical specimens around, there's no such thing as a defensive lineman that plays 100 percent of the snaps in a game. To that point, Odighizuwa delivered a career-high last season in percentage of snaps played, and by a cavernous margin, but still landed at 78 percent of the total workload (860 snaps total, also a career-high).
Prior to 2024, he averaged 57 percent utilization (623 snaps) per season, but that plan went out the window as injury ravaged the defense, forcing Chauncey Golston to defensive end and leaving the 3-tech without impact depth behind Odighizuwa.
He was able to avoid the injury bug despite the massive uptick in usage, again, thanks to his rigorous training regimen, but if the Cowboys want to keep him available to do damage, the goal will be to turn down the utilization to a more realistic amount that will keep him both fresh and around for the long run.
This is where Thomas comes in, available for 67 games over the last four seasons combined and having missed more than two games in only one of his eight NFL seasons. And though he's not played to the status of his draft pick, he's come on strong in New York under the tutelage of Whitecotton — evidenced by his nine sacks and 16 quarterback hits for the Jets.
That is the version of Thomas that Whitecotton convinced the Cowboys to play in rotation with Odighizuwa, who himself has 13.5 career sacks and 58 quarterback hits from the interior of the defensive line.
It bears mentioning he's also a former Walter Payton Man of the Year finalist, in 2024 for the Jets, bringing leadership both in the locker room and in the community along with him.
On paper, this appears to be the perfect rotational piece to send in to spell Odighizuwa, but keep in mind there will undoubtedly also be packages that see them rush side-by-side, e.g., third-and-long situations that require a ton of pressure from the defensive front.
Does this move solve the run defense? No, it does not, and the Cowboys will still need to address that quandary with either a level up in Year 3 by former first-round pick Mazi Smith and/or some signs of life from Justin Rogers, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft before being waived and later re-signed to the roster.
That latter is not impossible, but it is statistically less of a guarantee than, say adding another impact body at 1-tech (nose tackle, left of center) to aid Smith, in either free agency and/or the 2025 NFL Draft.
But, as far as positioning themselves to not suffer a massive decline at 3-tech when Odighizuwa needs to grab some hydration, they've at least, potentially, solved the other major issue on their defensive interior.
And that matters, too.
