Osa Odighizuwa is joining a San Francisco squad that desperately needs his support in the middle of the defensive line.
The 49ers finished dead last in the NFL in sacks last season, with just 20, ranked 29th in pressures and tied for 32nd in quarterback hits. Even worse, the 49ers only had two sacks from their defensive tackles. Odighizuwa, meanwhile, had 3.5 in 2025 alone and 17 over his five-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.
Now, he’ll join the 49ers front four that also has Nick Bosa and Mykell Williams to help fortify the new line for defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. And that prospect is exciting the ex-Cowboys star.
“I feel like getting some handcuffs taken off of me a little bit,” Odighizuwa told Richard Sherman this week. “I’m looking forward to just being able to make plays within this scheme.”
He described a defense built on variability — one that doesn’t ask its players to do the same thing every snap.
“When you have to do the same thing all the time, you’re predictable. And when you’re predictable in football, you’re very beatable,” Odighizuwa said. “Being allowed to put different things on tape, especially for myself and the way I play, is going to be awesome.”
On top of his 17 career sacks, Odighizuwa has also added 216 combined tackles, 34 tackles for a loss, 81 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles in 84 career games. He only thinks that’s the beginning of his potential, though.
“For the past five years, I haven’t scratched the surface of the clay that I am,” Odighizuwa said. “It hasn’t been put on full display. So I just plan on putting that on display.”
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: New 49ers DT explains how SF defense will bring out the best in him
Reporting by Oliver G., Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
