Defensive end Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys
Getty
Defensive end Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders and quarterback Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys
Anybody who had occasion to hear Dallas Cowboys COO and VP Stephen Jones speak form the NFL draft combine in Indianapolis this week would surely not be surprised to hear that the team intends to spend the bulk of the remaining upcoming offseason working to fix the defense. That’s not a big surprise considering this was a team that ranked No. 30 in yards allowed and No. 32 in points allowed under former coordinator Matt Eberflus.
The coaching staff has been overhauled, with new coordinator Christian Parker on board, and now the more difficult work of changing the roster begins. The Cowboys have some assets on hand–they can create a limited amount of cap space by restructuring deals and they have two first-round picks, at No. 12 and No. 20–but they also have multiple massive holes to fill.
That has led to some speculation about potentially converting assets into ready-made help. The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL, when healthy, and thus have some motivation to get seasoned veterans on the roster sooner rather than later.
Cowboys Already Very Busy on Trades This Past Year
That’s where more trade talk for the Cowboys can come in. Dallas pulled off two of the most significant trades of the past year, starting with moving Micah Parsons to the Packers after failing to negotiate a new contract for him, and using one of the first-round picks they got in the Parsons deal (they got two, in 2026 and 2027) to acquire Quinnen Williams from the Jets at the NFL trade deadline.
Now, it is possible the Cowboys will move the other Parsons pick, in this year’s draft, to provide some immediate help in what would be a blockbuster deal.
Again, with a contending-level offense on hand, the Cowboys might not want to wait for a rookie to develop, even if that rookie is a first-rounder. Jones was asked about trading a first-round pick on Monday.
“It’s tough to predict but we’re certainly open-minded to it,” Jones said. “We’re always open-minded to trading and if the right guy fits, if it is a perfect fit then we would certainly look at it, see if it works in with what we’re trying to get accomplished.”
Stephen Jones, Dallas Cowboys
GettyStephen Jones, Dallas Cowboys
Maxx Crosby? Maybe, But the Defense Needs Fixing
With speculation running high that the Raiders and star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby could be discussing a parting of the ways, there has long been chatter about Crosby coming back to Dallas, where he attended high school at Colleyville Heritage High, just outside of the city. But it’s not just Crosby, of course–there will be other defenders the Cowboys could look at adding in a trade.
Jones said the priority is getting the defense straightened out, however that needs to happen.
“We want to fix this defense,” he said. “We feel really good about the offensive side of the ball, now that we’ve got Javonte done and we know that we’ll have George back, we feel really good about that side of the ball. I think this is, we have spent a lot of time on it already, revamping the defensive coaching staff and we’ll take the next steps, which are to improve the personnel on that side of the ball.”