25-Year-Old Defensive Lineman Signed to the Cowboys; What This Signing Means for Future Free Agents

Former Chargers player, 25-year-old defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia, reached a one-year, three-million-dollar contract agreement with the Dallas Cowboys for his fifth season in the NFL on Tuesday, March 10th. This is the second one-year deal they’ve signed thus year. The other player with a similarly structured deal Dallas signed is 26-year-old defensive end Sam Williams. Ogbonnia has played in a total of 41 games, which were during his four-year tenure with the Chargers.  Over his professional career, he has started 20 times, and last season he recorded three tackles that resulted in a loss of yardage.

This new deal would be the team’s fourth defensive signing, part of the much-needed push to improve their struggling defense. With the tampering period now well and truly underway, the Cowboys are expected to pursue other free-agent defensive players, such as Jalen Thompson, in their aggressive stance on inducting free agents into their team’s ranks. With his tackle reputation preceding him, Ogbonnia certainly seems well-suited for the Cowboys’ stated goals. With his skills, the team has managed to plug up yet another hole and get just a bit closer to stopping the run.

Ogbonnia’s role with the Cowboys is similar to what he played with his previous team. This makes his adjustment period negligible. This is especially useful, as defensive coordinator Christian Parker stated the focus would be on specialties, not schemes. Using a 3-4 defense, he and Williams will join Solomon Thomas, Jay Toia, Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark. There are also rumors of other potential additions such as Hendrickson and Thompson.

While their defense has yet to fully take shape, these coaches’ decisions are certainly very good first steps toward improving their chances at stopping the run in the near future and beyond. It is smarter for them to get these types of players in the moment, rather than waiting until the very last minute. This allows them to sign contracts with players without the risk of settling or going against their specialty strategy. Three million dollars for a year isn’t necessarily “bursting the budget.” This also helps the salary cap from getting too low to negotiate for other players, something owner Jerry Jones has expressed concern about. His fear was sacrificing long-term success for short-term gains. If the contracts are as cheap as this, Jones may have worried over nothing.