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Cowboys decide which player to franchise tag

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Mar 2, 2025 4:00 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys are ready to make use of their franchise tag to keep a key player in the fold ahead of free agency.

The Cowboys intend to use their franchise tag on defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa unless the two sides are able to reach a long-term contract agreement by Tuesday, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The tag would cost Dallas $25.1 million if used on Odighizuwa.

Sources; The #Cowboys plan to utilize the franchise tag on defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa if a long-term deal is not reached by Tuesday. No final decision but that is the current expectation.

The tag is projected at $25.1 million. pic.twitter.com/xVj4IK1f2z
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 2, 2025

The Cowboys have until Tuesday to reach a long-term agreement with Odighizuwa. It is unclear how realistic that possibility is.

Odighizuwa has blossomed into a quality starter for the Cowboys, and it makes sense that they would want to keep him. The former third-round pick has started all 17 games for Dallas in each of the last three seasons, and has 13.5 sacks in four years with the franchise.

The Cowboys are not seen as likely to be hugely aggressive on the open market this offseason, as they have big contract decisions coming and not a ton of salary cap space. The focus may be on keeping their own key players more than anything else. Tagging Odighizuwa would be a step in that direction.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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