Dan Quinn may be on the verge of getting another Cowboys player to join the Commanders.
When Dan Quinn left his position as the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator last year to become the new head coach of the Washington Commanders, he convinced several members of America's Team to join him in the nation's capital, a list that featured Dorance Armstrong, Tyler Biadasz, Dante Fowler, and Noah Igbinoghene.
And once this 2025 free agency period begins, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler believes Quinn could once again attempt to poach one of his former players, the possible target being defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
"Teams we've talked to think Odighizuwa is the top defensive tackle because of his versatility, durability and pass-rush traits, Fowler wrote. "Washington is a team to potentially watch -- coach Dan Quinn has been big fan of Odighizuwa from their Dallas days together."
Osa Odighizuwa was one of the Cowboys' best defensive players in 2024
It certainly makes sense that Quinn would have a connection with Odighizuwa, as the UCLA alum was part of the Cowboys' defense-heavy 2021 draft class, which was the first after Quinn replaced Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator.
After Dallas selected Micah Parsons in the first round and Kelvin Joseph in the second, Odighizuwa was taken in the third round with the 75th overall pick.
It also makes perfect sense as to why Quinn would be interested in his former defensive tackle, as the Ohio native has been one of the Cowboys' most consistent and reliable defenders over the past few seasons, missing just one game in his first four years.
While Odighizuwa still struggles at times against the run, he's become one of the best pass rushers in the league, ranking 12th among all interior defenders with a pass-rush grade of 78.5. He also ranked 12th among all defensive players this past season with a career-high 23 QB hits. Odighizuwa also set a career-best in sacks in 2024 with 4.5.
Despite lackluster PFF grades in run defense (50.8) and coverage (61.6), the 26-year-old's 68.1 overall grade ranked fifth among all Dallas defensive players who played at least 400 snaps, trailing only Micah Parsons (90.0), Eric Kendricks (75.2), Jourdan Lewis (71.7), and DaRon Bland (70.1).
With the Commanders needing to upgrade their defense and having more than $77 million in available cap space, one would think that Quinn will undoubtedly reach out to Odighizuwa once the negotiation period begins on March 10.
Dallas, of course, will have the first crack at retaining his services. But if they fail to do so, don't be surprised to see yet another former Cowboys player taking snaps for Quinn next season.
