Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas traded by Cowboys – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Dallas is reshaping its defensive line depth via multiple trades.
FRISCO, Texas — For the second and third time in a three-day span, the Dallas Cowboys have struck a deal to trade with another team but, this time, they’re sending players out of North Texas, namely, defensive tackles Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas.
The Cowboys have agreed to terms with the San Francisco 49ers to send Odighizuwa to the Bay Area in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Thomas is heading to the Tennessee
Titans for a seventh-round swap in April.
The deals come a few months after Dallas traded to acquire both Pro Bowler Kenny Clark and All-Pro Quinnen Williams, revamping the defensive tackle position in a major way, recently signing Otito Ogbonnia to join second-year player Jay Toia as depth, having recently waived Perrion Winfrey.
Odighizuwa, a former third-round pick of the Cowboys in 2021, he was selected out of UCLA as a former First-Team All-Pac 12 talent that, eventually, steadily increased his production at the NFL level and his ability to disrupt games with each passing season.
Despite having to adjust to a one-year scheme under Mike Zimmer, he was still able to notch a career-high in sacks (4.5), tackles (47) and quarterback hits (23 total — 10 more than his second-best season in that category) that season.
This led to the Cowboys awarding him a four-year, $80 million contract extension in March 2025.
Tyrus Wheat expected to sign with Dallas Cowboys in free agency – SportsDay Staff, Dallas Morning News
A familiar face is back in Dallas.
The Dallas Cowboys are expected to bring back a familiar face in free agency.
A person familiar with the decision confirmed to The Dallas Morning News on Wednesday the team plans to reunite with defensive end Tyrus Wheat when the league year begins.
That distinction is important because Wheat is technically an Exclusive Rights Free Agent (ERFA) with the Detroit Lions, where he played last year. The Lions reportedly plan to not tender Wheat, making him an unrestricted free agent. The deadline for official tenders is the opening of the new year. Wheat would then be free to sign with the Cowboys freely if he’s not tendered.
The case for the Cowboys trading for Patrick Queen – David Howman, Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys desperately need linebacker help. Is Patrick Queen the answer?
The first two days of NFL free agency – err, legal tampering period – were unusually eventful for the Cowboys. However, one area marked by inactivity came at linebacker, where Dallas signed zero free agents as other top options came off the board very quickly.
It led to Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen being floated as a trade candidate Monday night into Tuesday morning, but the rumors quickly died down.
Regardless of where things stand with the actual trade discussions, a deal for Queen (assuming the price is a late Day 3 draft pick, as has been floated) would be a great way to beef up the linebacker room for Christian Parker.
The former 28th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Queen starred at LSU during their national championship run before growing into a productive linebacker for the Ravens, being named to the second-team All-Pro in 2023. Despite that, Baltimore let him walk in free agency, partly due to their trade and subsequent extension for Roquan Smith.
Queen then signed a three-year deal with the Steelers, and his performance since then has been subpar, to say the least. That’s led many Cowboys fans to have a negative reaction to the trade chatter, even labeling him Kenneth Murray 2.0, which is understandable yet off the mark.
For starters, let’s rewind to Queen’s college evaluation. Here’s what Dane Brugler of The Athletic wrote up on Queen, whom he had as the second best linebacker in the draft:
A one-year starter at LSU, Queen was an inside linebacker in former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda’s 3-4 scheme. His first career start came vs. Alabama in 2018 when Devin White was sidelined (due to a targeting penalty) and he steadily grew into one of LSU’s top defensive performers, playing 89.5% of defensive snaps over the second half of the 2019 season.
One of the youngest players in the draft, Queen has outstanding play speed and can run all day, smoothly transferring his weight and closing with purpose. He is still developing his stack-shed ability and finishing skills, but shows natural read-react quickness and the meanspirited personality required for the position.
Overall, Queen doesn’t have an extensive resume, but he is a super athletic run-and-hit linebacker with excellent mirror skills and the fluidity to turn and run in coverage, projecting as a high-upside NFL starter with every-down ability.
It’s important to understand what Queen was coming out, and where he stands today as a player. Brugler hit on several key things in his analysis, noting Queen as “a one-year starter” and “one of the youngest players in the draft” without “an extensive résumé.”
In other words, Queen was very raw coming into the league.
Yet, Queen also possessed natural talent. Not only was he physically gifted, Queen was also a physical player, something that Brian Schottenheimer has stressed as a key trait in all players since becoming the head coach in Dallas.
Brandon Aubrey talks free agency, INDYCAR and his offseason regimen – Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Brandon Aubrey discusses free agency as neotiations continue.
The Dallas Cowboys placed a second-round tender on kicker Brandon Aubrey after the team was unable to agree on a long-term contract.
The second-round tender means that any other team is free to offer Aubrey a long-term contract, but the Cowboys can match it. If a team offers Aubrey a contract, the Cowboys will receive a second-round draft pick if they choose not to match.
Aubrey talked about his mindset while going through free agency with the Cowboys.
“It’s not something that I have control over; the term ‘restricted’ applies there. Obviously, Dallas is my home, would like to keep it that way, so it would be nice to get a long-term deal going, just need to sit down and have that conversation,” Aubrey said. “There’s a lot of moving parts with the Cowboys at the moment, and you know, there’s players that aren’t restricted that they got to sort through first because with that restriction, movement is significantly more difficult. … There’s more important fires to put out, and then they can circle around when things calm down.”
While Aubrey waits on a long-term deal, the Houston Texans and Ka’imi Fairbairn agreed to a contract that makes him the highest-paid kicker in the NFL with a two-year, $13 million contract. Aubrey talked about Fairbairn’s contract being the rising tide that lifts all boats.
“That’s always a positive, anytime the market goes up as a whole every kicker makes money. So when he signs a new record contract … anybody who’s signing a new deal, the price has gone up,” Aubrey said.
Aubrey has been one of, if not the league’s best, kicker since his debut in 2023. He’s been a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection every season of his career and has already set the NFL record for most 60-yard field goals made.
Rashan Gary: ‘I’m happy to be a part of’ defensive rebuild in Dallas – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Rashan Gary officially announced as a member of the Dallas Cowboys.
FRISCO, Texas — Rashan Gary is officially added to the Dallas Cowboys’ roster, the start of the new league year having commenced on Wednesday afternoon. With the trade fully executed and the former Green Bay Packers’ edge rusher having put pen to paper, the two sides can get to work in the meeting room and on the field.
Gary could not have been more excited to get the phone call letting him know he’d be headed to North Texas, a move that reunites him with defensive coaches Derrick Ansley and [defensive coordinator] Christian Parker — both of whom spent time with Gary in Green Bay.
“When I got the call, my emotions — they were everywhere,” he told Nicole Hutchison of DallasCowboys.com. “It’s sort of surreal, at the same time, just understanding the connections that I have here in the coach of staff. It just made it feel like my second home, especially with my family being here. It was just a great experience.”
The connections run deeper than simply within the coaching staff, though.
Gary is also rejoining Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who landed in Dallas as a part of the Micah Parsons trade prior to the start of the 2025 season. Gary and Clark spent several seasons together for the Packers, and those were some of the most productive campaigns for Gary, all smiles knowing he gets to play alongside one of his closest friends, yet again, going forward.
