While the Los Angeles Chargers were highly successful re-shaping their roster for their two new coordinators in free agency, they also lost their fair share of talent on the defensive side of the ball.
Odafe Oweh left for the Washington Commanders on a four-year, $96 million deal in free agency. Benjamin St-Juste signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Green Bay Packers. Both players' production will need to be replaced in some way, and these two departures have each received their fair share of attention to this point in the offseason.
Defensive lineman Otito Ogbonnia, who departed to the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year, $2.75 million deal, has been relatively under-discussed in comparison. The Chargers quickly filled the gap with their signing of Dalvin Tomlinson and Nick Barrett in free agency, and they'll hope for steps forward from both Jamaree Caldwell and Justin Eboigbe in 2026. Given Ogbonnia's inconsistencies as a run defender, it frankly wasn't a major loss for the Chargers.
But according to NFL writer Michael Haney, in a piece written for The Landry Hat, Dallas will be hoping for much more out of Ogbonnia— he'll be asked to help fix their woeful run defense in 2026.
Otito Ogbonnia has a lot of his shoulders heading into 2026, and the Chargers know he's likely not cut out for it
"[Ogbonnia's] strong frame and physicality suggest he could improve against the run. The Cowboys will certainly hope he does so. He'll likely be a starter in five-man fronts, lining up alongside Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark on the interior. If Ogbonnia is a clear weak link, offenses will target him. He'll need to be strong against the run for Dallas to see the improvements they expect in 2026." Michael Haney, The Landry Hat
This offseason, almost all of Dallas's improvements were focused on the defensive side of the ball. Five of their seven draft picks were spent on defenders, including top safety Caleb Banks. Their new defensive coordinator, Christian Parker, should certainly have more tools than last year's coaching staff had at their disposal.
As Haney mentions, Ogbonnia won't be a starter in traditional four-man looks. Those honors will go to Rashan Gary, Dee Winters, Kenny Clark, and Quinnen Williams. But given the Cowboys' struggles against the run last season, it wouldn't be surprising in the least to see Ogbonnia's snap share as a run defender increase from the 25% he saw with Los Angeles last season.
Dallas allowed the 10th-most total rushing yards and the seventh-most yards per attempt in the entire NFL last year. They'll hope that the re-shaping of their interior defensive line will solve the issue, and the Ogbonnia signing is likely to play a key role in the outcome.
The problem is that, despite his size and hefty frame, the Chargers know that Ogbonnia isn't cut out to be a load-bearing run defender. Ogbonnia was sidelined from Los Angeles' normal defensive rotation for much of last season with an elbow injury. But even in his last fully healthy season in 2024, he was highly inconsistent against the run. He posted four missed tackles on just 29 total solo attempts, per Pro Football Focus, and he had only one week with an above-average run defense grade according to PFF's system.
As he enters his fifth NFL season, there's certainly a chance Ogbonnia takes that leap. But Los Angeles didn't want to count on it happening in 2026. The Cowboys have left themselves in a dangerous position if that's what they're leaning on this season.
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