While evaluating prospects is the purpose of the NFL combine, head coaches and general managers addressing the media offers a bevy of valuable information. Between quarterback speculation and teams granting trade requests, the news cycle is humming out of Indianapolis.
While nothing groundbreaking has happened as it pertains to the Dallas Cowboys, we learned an important nugget about team’s free agency strategy via executive vice president Stephen Jones,
Jones told the Dallas Morning News that the Cowboys have started negotiations with free agent defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa. That indicates Dallas is serious about retaining Odighizuwa, who was among the most disruptive interior defenders in football last season.
Re-signing Odighizuwa would be a dream start to the offseason. You’d be hard-pressed to name three defenders more imperative than No. 97 and his position is one of the most important in defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ sheme.
While retaining Odighizuwa is a big priority, Jones also peeled back the curtain on other impending free agents the team wants back.
Stephen Jones says Cowboys want to keep Jourdan Lewis and Rico Dowdle
In addition to Odighizuwa, Jones made it clear that Dallas wants to keep cornerback Jourdan Lewis and running back Rico Dowdle.
“We’re very interested, obviously,” Jones said. “Definitely J Lew. He’s our starting nickel. We’re interested in getting him back.”
“The same with Rico, obviously. Rico had a great year. He got most of his yards in half of a season, once we got back committed to the run.”
Lewis should be more of a priority than Dowdle, but that quote is very encouraging as Lewis and Dowdle were two of the Cowboys’ standout players last season. Both players had the best season of their respective careers in 2024.
Lewis is one of the NFL’s most underrated nickel corners. He posted the ninth-best coverage grade last season among 70 CBs who logged at least 400 coverage snaps and 10th-lowest average depth of target, per PFF.
A third-round pick by Dallas in 2017, Lewis’ bulldog mentality is why he is universally regarded as the heartbeat of a secondary that includes multiple All-Pros. It cannot be overstated how devastating it would be if the Cowboys are unable to sign him.
Losing Dowdle wouldn’t be nearly as devastating, but re-signing him would be a smart piece of busines after the former undrafted free agent was one of the league’s most productive running backs in the second half of last season.
From Week 7 on (a 10-game sample size), Dowdle averaged 95.1 rushing yards per game with 4.73 yards per carry to boot. Among RBs who tallied at least 180 carries, Dowde ranked sixth (!) with a 53.6% rushing success rate.
While not a dynamic runner, he is a serviceable starter in the league.
The Cowboys are fully expected to draft a running back in April, but Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis (futures deal) are the only RBs under contract next season. It would be wise to bring Dowdle back to have a veteran in the room and he may only cost $4-6 million per year.
Jones has said all the right things in Indianapolis. Here’s hoping the front office put their words into action before Odighizuwa, Lewis and Dowdle are allowed to test free agency.