Just ahead of this year's NFL trade deadline, the Dallas Cowboys made what was easily one of the biggest deals in the entire league, sending a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and first-round bust Mazi Smith to the New York Jets to acquire three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Williams, of course, is the second defensive tackle America's Team has traded for this year, as Jerry Jones was adamant that 10th-year veteran Kenny Clark was included in the deal that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
As both Williams and Clark are signed through the 2027 season, the Cowboys now find themselves in an interesting situation, as Osa Odighizuwa, who inked a four-year, $80 million extension back in March, will assumingly be relegated to a backup role.
As such, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon, who recently wrote a piece in which he opined on every NFL team's most valuable trade chip for the upcoming 2026 offseason, says that chip for Dallas may just be Odighizuwa at this point.
"It remains to be seen how the Cowboys will utilize Odighizuwa alongside Quinnen Williams as well as preseason acquisition Kenny Clark,"Gagnon wrote, "but the fact is they could be positioned to leverage that newfound interior depth to improve elsewhere this offseason. You'd think they'd be more likely to move on from Odighizuwa, whose play has dropped off in 2025. That said, they'll probably stick with all three highly-paid linemen, leaving veteran Solomon Thomas as the obvious trade chip."
Cowboys currently have $134 million wrapped up in three DTs over the next two years
Now, as you can see, Gagnon didn't say the Cowboys will definitely be shopping Odighizuwa, as he clearly states that he believed Dallas could keep all three players. But that's an expensive backup to have, as his cap number for the 2026 season is $20.75 million and rises to $24.5 million in the two seasons that follow.
As for Williams, his cap number in 2026 is $21.75 million and $25.5 million in 2027, while Clark comes in at $21.5 million in '26 and an even $20 million in '27.
That's $134 million wrapped up in three defensive tackles over the next two seasons, which doesn't seem sustainable, not with the money being paid to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and certainly not if the Cowboys, as Gagnon suggests, want to make defensive upgrades elsewhere, which are obviously necessary, given the state of this unit right now.
RELATED:Cowboys stumble into a Jaydon Blue dilemma they can’t ignore anymore
Williams obviously isn't going anywhere. And one has to wonder if Jones would be willing to trade or even cut Clark, as that would make the Parsons trade look even worse than it already does. So, perhaps Odighizuwa is the most logical choice of this trio as a trade chip.
Gagnon is undoubtedly spot-on in his assessment that Odighizuwa has taken a step back, as he certainly doesn't look like the player he's been the last few years. PFF grades don't always tell the whole story, of course, but his 60.4 overall mark, which ranks him 61st out of 127 eligible interior defensive linemen says enough.
The problem with declining play, of course, is that Jones might have a lot of trouble finding a team willing to give up a decent draft pick for an average DT with an inflated $20 million average salary over the next three years.
Gagnon did mention Solomon Thomas as an "obvious trade chip" if the Cowboys opt to keep all three of the others mentioned, but Dallas wouldn't get much in return on a trade there. However, Thomas will be playing the 2026 season on the final year of his contract, so perhaps Jones would opt to at least get something for him instead of simply letting him walk out the door a year later.
No trades can be made until the new League Year begins in March, but this situation is certainly worth keeping an eye on over the next few months.