Cowboys reportedly played 49ers well in Osa Odighizuwa trade
Shout out to The Gambler. I guess.
The Dallas Cowboys have been very busy since legal tampering and/or free agency officially kicked off last week. They have brought in several new players, applied a couple of tenders, obviously dropped the franchise tag way before then, and they have even been involved in a handful of trades as well.
While the Cowboys made a trade for Rashan Gary they also traded away two players in Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas. With all due respect to Thomas, the Odighizuwa trade was the far more difficult one to process given what he has done for the Cowboys for the last five years, but it would appear that Dallas was able to get a proper return on him. At least more than the 49ers initially thought they would have to give up.
The Cowboys may have won a staring contest with San Francisco
On Wednesday, ESPN applied some evaluation to all of the NFL free agency moves to date and there are several for the Cowboys that merit different types of discussion.
Within the overall Cowboys section there was a point where they mentioned that they heard the 49ers were originally offering only a Day 3 pick to the Cowboys in exchange for Odighizuwa. This was, reportedly, because they believed the Cowboys were merely trying to get rid of Odighizuwa’s financial burden to the team.
Did the Cowboys hit their free agency goals? Kind of. They still need linebacker help and a pass rusher, but they added Gary, who they believe is a better fit in the system of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker over last season’s sack leader, Jadeveon Clowney. Thompson’s versatility is a major plus because he can cover up a few holes. Durant doesn’t have ideal height at 5-foot-11, but he takes the ball away and that’s what this defense needs.
One thing we heard: The 49ers initially thought the Cowboys were willing to trade Odighizuwa for monetary purposes and were offering a Day 3 pick in return. When they were informed the Cowboys were willing to keep Odighizuwa, the Niners gave up the No. 92 pick. As a result, the Cowboys added their first Day 2 pick.
Biggest remaining roster hole: Middle linebacker. They were in on Quay Walker, Nakobe Dean and Devin Lloyd but could not close a deal. They had tepid interest in the remaining free agents and now found themselves looking for a trade partner for a veteran. The Cowboys would rather not go into the season with a rookie serving as the “green dot” for their defense. — Todd Archer
Just one day before the Odighizuwa trade actually happened there was a report that teams were watching the situation for a potential deal to be made. It would seem that at some point in this window, the Cowboys convinced the 49ers that they were willing to keep Odighizuwa and that is what pushed San Francisco to up their offer. As has been said a lot since the trade, this was particularly important for Dallas as it gave them a Day 2 selection in the upcoming draft as they did not have any due to previous trades (Quinnen Williams and George Pickens).
Assuming things really did transpire along these lines, good for the Cowboys! They sensed their hand was being read from across the room and applied the right kind of pressure to walk away with a better return than they may have otherwise.
Are you buying this, though?
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