The San Francisco 49ers made plenty of noise this offseason, and the headline move was easy to spot: the addition of All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans. That kind of swing always grabs attention.
But the transaction that may matter most for San Francisco’s 2025 outlook is the trade with the Dallas Cowboys for defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa.
The 49ers needed help at receiver, no question. Still, their biggest problem sat on the other side of the ball. San Francisco finished with an NFL-low 20 sacks, and even though season-ending ACL tears to defensive ends Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams made life harder, the full defensive line fell short in 2025.
Odighizuwa doesn’t fit the classic sack-hunter mold. Across five seasons in Dallas, the 27-year-old produced 17 sacks. What he does bring is interior disruption, the kind that forces protection changes, draws double teams and opens cleaner paths for edge rushers coming off the outside.
For 49ers fans who remember the 2010s teams, the comparison is Justin Smith on the defensive end side to the late great Aldon Smith.
That sort of force in the middle could be the piece that gets San Francisco’s pass rush - and maybe the whole defense - moving in the right direction again.
New defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is expected to lean into pressure, and Marc Adams of 49ers Webzone noted how Odighizuwa could immediately change the dynamic for Bosa on the edge:
Odighizuwa has quietly become one of the NFL's better interior disruptors, consistently generating quarterback pressures that don't always show up in sack totals. Now imagine him lining up next to Bosa.
Quarterbacks stepping up to avoid Bosa could find Odighizuwa waiting. Quarterbacks sliding away from Odighizuwa could drift directly into Bosa.
That kind of pairing is exactly the sort of complementary setup Morris has used before.
Jerry Trotta of The Landry Hat also highlighted what made Odighizuwa so effective in Dallas:
Odighizuwa's quick first step and relentless motor are the keys to his success. Even when he doesn't finish with a sack, his ability to generate pressure up the middle speeds up a quarterback's internal clock and creates opportunities for edge rushers to finish what he started.
Odighizuwa was one of the NFL's more disruptive interior pass rushers before Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams arrived in Dallas, proving he can produce regardless of the talent around him. With the support of Nick Bosa, Alfred Collins, and Mykell Williams, Osa should feast with the 49ers, as much as it pains me to admit.
The pressure numbers back up the reputation. Odighizuwa has posted at least 30 pressures in each of the last two seasons, and if he’s still in his prime, there’s little reason to think that level of disruption will fade in his new home.
His impact could extend beyond Bosa, too. Odighizuwa may also help unlock second-year defensive tackle Alfred Collins, San Francisco’s 2025 second-round pick, who flashed but didn’t fully put it together overall.
With Odighizuwa taking over as the main interior disruptor, Collins can settle into a simpler role and keep developing without having to carry so much of the load inside.
If Odighizuwa eases the burden on both Collins and Bosa, the 49ers’ defensive line could go from a weakness to a strength in a hurry. And if he thrives under Morris, the trade might end up looking like San Francisco’s best offseason move.
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49ers May Already Have Their Next Answer At Center
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Drake Nugent gives the 49ers a younger name to watch as camp and preseason unfold. The undrafted rookie has already put himself in the mix for a roster spot, and if he keeps building on that momentum, he could push his way into the conversation as Brendel's eventual successor while the team weighs its longer-term options at one of the most important spots on the line. [Read more 🡒]