New DT Osa Odighizuwa Relishing 49ers-Cowboys Matchup This Season

In free agency, the 49ers brought in Osa Odighizuwa, a familiar name from the Cowboys, in exchange for their thiird-round pick.

The 49ers made the move to strengthen a defensive line that exposed its weaknesses last season when injuries began to pile up, adding one of the NFC’s most reliable interior pass rushers in the process.

Odighizuwa recorded career highs in pressures and sacks with Dallas, quickly becoming a cornerstone of the Cowboys’ defensive front.

San Francisco believes his explosiveness, versatility, and ability to disrupt plays in the backfield will fit seamlessly alongside Nick Bosa, giving the defense another proven veteran presence up front.

Now, Odighizuwa will be wearing red and gold instead of white and blue, crossing into enemy territory from the Cowboys’ perspective after years of battling the 49ers as a division rival.

“Speaking to the [49ers-Cowboys] rivalry, this is a game that for a long time I was, this is the game that I mean, it’s like you’ve got a picture on a dartboard and you’re throwing knives at it,” Odighizuwa told Richard Sherman on the Richard Sherman Podcast.

“Now I just take down that picture and I put up the other one, and I’m on the other side of it, but the energy is exactly the same.”

With the rivalry between the 49ers and Cowboys reigniting in recent years, Odighizuwa will immediately face pressure to deliver against his former team.

The front office brought him in to strengthen a defensive front that struggled with injuries and consistency last season, and performances in huge rivalry games often define new arrivals in the eyes of fans.

Facing Dallas at AT&T Stadium adds even more attention, as the 49ers will expect him to deliver against the team he's played at his whole career before his move across.