We are a shade over three weeks away from the start of Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard, California on July 25th, and Cowboys Nation is giddy with anticipation. There isn’t much to write about in the news cycle regarding the Cowboys or any other team, but the media always seems to find a way to conjure up segments that usually revolve around the Cowboys. And most of the time they aren’t good headlines.
Headlines like: “Is Micah Parsons’ podcast more important to him than football?” Or “Dak Prescott hasn’t signed an extension. Trouble brewing in Dallas?”
Those of us who follow the Cowboys closely know that 99% of the headlines from the four-letter media networks are only to get views and clicks, and not actual football analysis.
Their latest situation to blow out of proportion has been the contract negotiations of QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb, and why they aren’t signed to extensions yet.
They even threw EDGE Micah Parsons in there, who just became eligible for a new contract.
Surely the Cowboys brass is working diligently with their agents to get something done before the season starts, but what if the next extension isn’t for either one of the three mentioned above?
The Dallas Cowboys have been known to offer new contracts earlier than expected to players they project are on an upward trajectory, and they try to lock them at a cheaper price before they play themselves into a larger contract. They’ve done this in the past with players like Jaylon Smith and La’el Collins, and they could possibly be looking for a couple of players to accomplish that with before the season starts.
Let’s look at two young players who qualify.
DT Osa Odighizuwa
The Cowboys have notoriously lacked a true impact player at defensive tackle at the 3-technique position since the days of Jay Ratliff and maybe even as far back as La’Roi Glover.
Osa Odighizuwa isn’t on the same level as those two Cowboys legends but he has shown improvement in each of his first three seasons. He is an ascending player in the final year of his rookie deal and is the perfect candidate for an extension.
Through his first three seasons, Odighizuwa has seen incremental increases in tackles, tackles for loss, assisted tackles, and quarterback hits. For a team that lacks in defending the run, those stats are important.
Odighizuwa is at the top of the depth chart with not much experience behind him.
Second-year player Mazi Smith will shade more to a 1-technique, leaving Osa as the only true 3-technique defensive tackle on the team. Players like Chauncey Golston and Viliami “Junior” Fehoko double as defensive ends and undersized tackles to spell the starters.
Still, if Osa Odighizuwa walks in free agency, the Cowboys have no contingency plan outside of an expensive free agent or a rookie from the 2025 NFL Draft.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Osa Odighizuwa signed to an extension before the season starts.
S Juanyeh Thomas
An extension for Juanyeh Thomas wouldn’t be a priority for the Cowboys, but it would be a smart move.
Thomas signed a 2-year contract as an undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech University after the 2023 NFL Draft. Then-DC Dan Quinn and current Defensive Backs Coach Al Harris saw playmaking ability from Juanyeh in college.
When given the opportunity, Juanyeh has delivered.
He snagged the first interception of the season in 2023 from Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-string QB Trevor Lawrence during a preseason game at AT&T Stadium. He played well enough throughout the rest of training camp and the preseason to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, appearing in 16 regular season games.
Thomas even started one game in place of an ill Malik Hooker.
Juanyeh Thomas displays versatility that none of the other safeties on the team possess. He can cover deep or defend the run. He can cover tight ends or shadow wide receivers in the slot. Thomas possesses the toughness that has so often been lacking from this team.
Malik Hooker, the current starter at free safety, still has three years left on his contract, but the Cowboys have an out after this upcoming season. If Juanyeh ends the season as the more effective safety, Hooker could be released and the Cowboys would save almost $4 million against the 2025 salary cap.