(Editor's Note: As part of the preparation for training camp, this series will introduce 25 players who are new to the Cowboys' roster, rookies and veterans alike. We continue with Otito Ogbonnia.)
How He Got Here:
This should all feel very familiar for Ogbonnia, being in Texas, I mean. That's because he hails from Katy, TX, an afternoon drive south of NTX in the Houston area. His talent in high school took him to UCLA, meaning there's an added familiarity in that it's also the school attended by fellow defensive linemen Kenny Clark and Jay Toia. Ogbonnia, a former fifth-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, was signed this offseason as a free agent to help add depth following the decision to trade another former Bruin, Osa Odighizuwa, to the San Francisco 49ers.
What's Next:
Ogbonnia will walk into training camp with the express mission of proving he can be a worthy backup to Clark and All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. That will, of course, pit him against Toia, but also Jonathan Bullard and others. Working in his favor is the fact he's got 21 NFL starts in 40 active games under his belt, with 82 combined tackles through his first four seasons in the league. He'll need to combine his youth with his experience to make waves in Oxnard and beyond for Christian Parker.
Did You Know:
- This offseason, the Cowboys swapped one UCLA product for another when they opted to trade Osa Odighizuwa and sign Otito Ogbonnia to join Jay Toia and Kenny Clark — keeping the UCLA count on the Cowboys' defensive line at three, more than any other school.
- Ogbonnia joins the Cowboys after a four-year stay with the Los Angeles Chargers, the team that plucked him out of the 2022 NFL Draft in the fifth round. The Katy native returns home to Texas for 2026, and with 41 NFL games played and 20 NFL starts under his belt.
- Believe it or not, but what stands out the most about Ogbonnia doesn't actually involve football. It's the fact he won a Texas state title in two sports — shot put and discus throw — ranked No. 1 in shot put before putting his talents to use in football to throw around offensive linemen.
