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The San Francisco 49ers can’t stop raving about their newest defensive tackle, Osa Odighizuwa.
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And it’s only for good reasons. The 49ers needed to improve on defense this offseason, and exchanging a third-round pick for one of the most durable defensive tackles in the league was a smart bit of business.
In fact, based on what’s been shown so far, it’s arguably been their best offseason roster move.
Now that all training camp sessions are completed, a small sample size can be made. It seems, so far, all the coaching staff are happy with his progress.
“It’s been how we were kind of expecting. We knew we were getting a good player,” Shanahan stated to reporters.
“And so, we’ve seen that. I didn’t know the type of guy he fully was until we started really hearing it from around the league and people from there, and that’s been cool to go through this whole camp with him.
“He’s exactly how he’s advertised. He’s a true leader. He goes hard as can be every day. That’s why he gets really annoying for the O-Line just because of how hard he goes. They’ve been battling all camp. He’s made us better. I think we’ve made him better, and I’m real excited to have him on our team.”
Odighizuwa’s strong training camp performances are an encouraging sign for a 49ers defense that desperately needed to improve heading into this season.
Defensive coordinator Raheem Morris previously stated that Odighizuwa’s daily routine and application to his work were among the first things he noticed about him.
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It’s a new system, culture and environment, especially under Morris’ defensive scheme, but Odighizuwa has looked equally impressive on the field during camp while taking everything in off it.
He will be incredibly important once the regular season gets underway, particularly given the lack of proven standout quality across the 49ers’ pass rush. They ranked lowest in sacks last season for a reason.
That places even greater importance on Odighizuwa, providing consistent disruption from the interior and taking some of the pressure off those around him, especially when Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams are still recovering.
Giving up a third-round pick (though they traded for one during the draft) could make this one of the best trades in the league this season.
It makes sense that San Francisco is undoubtedly happy with what they’ve seen so far, but there are still 17 regular-season games and a potential playoff push ahead before the true value of the trade can be evaluated.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as Kyle Shanahan Can’t Stop Raving About 49ers DT Osa Odighizuwa.
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This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 2:00 PM.