Drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Otito Ogbonnia never really equated to much with the LA Chargers. Injuries slowed down his career early and once he was healthy, he was merely an overlooked member of a talented defensive line rotation.
Ogbonnia hit free agency for the first time this past offseason and it was quite clear that his time with the Chargers was up. There wasn't much of a bidding war for Ogbonnia, who landed with the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year, $2.75 million contract.
Dallas' hope with Ogbonnia is that he can bolster a run defense that really needed the help last season. That seems like a tall order for someone who hasn't done much in his NFL career, even leading us here at Bolt Beat to warn Cowboys fans of expecting too much.
Well, we might be the ones with egg on our face. Ogbonnia has already made an impression during Cowboys training camp and appears to be exactly what Dallas needed on the interior.
Otito Ogbonnia turns heads at Cowboys training camp after Chargers departure
Ogbonnia made an impression during practice for his athleticism and ability to snuff out two screen passes on the outside. This prompted Jerry Trotta of The Landry Hat to declare that Ogbonnia is worth "every penny" the Cowboys spent on him this offseason.
Ogbonnia should have far more opportunity in Dallas than he had in Los Angeles. The former fifth-round pick is currently slated to be the team's starting nose tackle, and should play prominent snaps if he continues to impress up the coast in Oxnard.
Last year in Los Angeles, Ogbonnia played just 138 defensive snaps in nine games played. It was the lowest since his rookie season as he clearly became an afterthought in the rotation. That isn't the case in Dallas, where he is getting a chance to create his own path forward as a starting member of that defensive line.
Otito Ogbonnia's success doesn't matter to the Chargers as they upgraded at NT
This isn't a case where Chargers fans have to sit back and wonder what could have been if Ogbonnia turns into a difference-maker on the Cowboys. The Chargers upgraded at nose tackle in free agency, making this a best-case scenario for all parties.
Los Angeles signed veteran Dalvin Tomlinson, who is far more proven than Ogbonnia is at this stage. Even if Ogbonnia puts together the best year of his career in Dallas, the Chargers will get more out of Tomlinson than they would have from Ogbonnia.
Ogbonnia was a draft pick of the old regime and this regime never fully bought in. He was never going to live up to his full potential in Los Angeles and the Chargers didn't need to force a fit that wasn't there. Jim Harbaugh and the coaching staff went out and signed someone who better aligns while Ogbonnia gets a chance to become an NFL starter. And if it all pans out, Dallas gets its run-stuffer.
It's a win-win-win, which is rare in today's NFL. Chargers fans certainly shouldn't root against Ogbonnia's success with the Cowboys. Instead, they should hope he lives up to what we all thought he could be when he was initially drafted four years ago.
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