The Dallas Cowboys defense is a star-studded unit with plenty of playmakers, but one is being called an unsung team leader by defensive line coach Aden Durde. That player is none other than three-year veteran defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
What Are Osa Odighizuwa’s Best Traits?
Durde says Odighizuwa can affect a quarterback, has solid communication, and uses mistakes to improve.
“He is just such a great person, and you talk about development if you look in year in, year out, Osa’s made progress. His game is growing, and he’s always trying to unturn a stone to say, okay, how can I grow here,” said Durde.
The assistant coach said a trait that makes Odighizuwa so special is his ability to play confidently, allowing him to use the system to make plays.
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Odighizuwa was the Cowboys’ third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the same year Dallas hired Durde as the defensive line coach.
Coming in together, the assistant coach said they have evolved, adding, “There’s a lot of stuff me and him, Chauncey [Golston] is on that too, that we’ve delivered. I’ve delivered it to them at that time, and they’ve grown with me as we’ve adjusted, and they have a very good understanding of the system.”
Odighizuwa Is an Unsung Team Leader
Odighizuwa has 21 combined total tackles — the highest amount within defensive tackles — and three sacks, the second most on the team behind Micah Parsons.
“He’s one of the unsung leaders in our room like he does stuff that has given other people structure as a professional through the week. And he’s created that, and he’s done an unbelievable job,” expressed Durde.
In fact, Durde stated Odighizuwa asked him to make a film tape to study during the bye week.
However, Cowboys’ secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. agrees that Odighizuwa doesn’t get enough credit, stating, “He’s a student of the game. He’s physical. He plays with great physicality. So I’m just glad that he’s starting to get the credit that he deserves.”
Both coaches and teammates agree in this sediment about the 25-year-old. Earlier in the season, Parsons credited his teammate for his consistent work ethic.
He mentioned Odighizuwa’s commitment in the weight room and joked, saying he doesn’t go in there when he sees his teammate working out because he always lifts heavy weights.
“I’m not lifting no heavy weight. I stay away from him. Every time you look at him, he’s in like a full drench sweat, and he’s in prime mode. So that’s Osa’s work ethic, who he is, and he hasn’t changed from it since the day he got here,” said Parsons.
Odighizuwa’s Career So Far
Within the last three years, the Dallas DT has had 100 total tackles, nine sacks, and 18 stuffs against the run, all within the 39 games he has played, including six so far this season.
Within the 2023 season, Odighizuwa has racked up eight QB pressures, six of which came on Monday night’s win against the Chargers.
If this indicates how much of an impact he can continue to have in prime-time games, opposing offenses will need to start game planning to shut Odighizuwa down if they want to keep their quarterback untouched during games.