Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders continues to be linked to a Dallas Cowboys trade.
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Maxx Crosby #98 of the Las Vegas Raiders continues to be linked to a Dallas Cowboys trade.
The NFL draft is a little more than two weeks away, and for the Dallas Cowboys, there is cause for excitement. While fans would much prefer to be drafting in the late 20s at this time of year–or No. 32, actually, because that means you’ve won the Super Bowl–the Cowboys will have the No. 12 pick and the No. 20 pick with a chance to land players who Dallas brass has said will need to contribute right away. Better yet, the Cowboys could deal away a pick or two for a star veteran who can be a plug-and-play 2026 option. You know, like maybe … Maxx Crosby.
Ah yes, the Crosby rumor does not seem to be one that will die, even after he was traded to the Ravens despite Dallas’ making a credible trade offer for him, only to have the trade rescinded and Crosby sent back to the Raiders.
The Cowboys moved on after the initial Crosby trade, choosing to acquire Rashan Gary from the Packers for a 2027 fourth-round pick, and at The Star, the feeling is that those big-time trades are behind them, at least for an edge rusher. But for the rest of us, the Cowboys making a splash move by reviving the Crosby scenario makes too much sense to ignore.
Cowboys Could Trade No. 20 for Maxx Crosby
At the USA Today site Cowboys Wire, the feeling clearly is that the Cowboys could still step up and swipe Crosby in a trade with the Raiders. In the site’s latest Cowboys seven-round mock draft, that’s exactly how things are projected to play out for the team: first a trade down from No. 12 (for No. 22, No. 55 in the second round and a 2027 replacement fourth-rounder) with the Chargers, then a trade of No. 20 for Crosby (along with the Cowboys’ third-round pick).
That would allow the Cowboys to bring in the high-impact pass-rush star they’re still seeking. While the team has made clear it moved on from Crosby with the trade for Gary, Dallas has still revealed the fact that it wants more at the position with its interest in top draft prospects like David Bailey, Arvell Reese and Rueben Bain.
Is Maxx Crosby Really on the Trade Block?
But swapping out a pick for a known commodity like Crosby would immediately transform this defense, which was arguably the worst in the NFL last year–it ranked No. 32 in points allowed, at 511–into a high-pressure unit that has also seen significant upgrades on the back end, especially at safety.
The site notes: “In our latest 7-round mock draft, conducted using Pro Football Focus’ simulator, the Cowboys addressed all of those needs, most notably acquiring edge rusher Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders. In short, we don’t believe anyone on either side of this potential blockbuster trade is being truthful right now.”
Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones.
GettyDallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is speaking up again about the Maxx Crosby trade pitch.
Cowboys’ Jerry Jones: ‘Is it Possible? Yes’
It does bear remembering, though, that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did address the Maxx Crosby situation during last week’s owners meetings. He did not rule out resuscitating the deal, but he did not sound overly enthusiastic about getting Crosby to Dallas.
Jones was not clear, but hinted that the Cowboys would not have failed Crosby, who had meniscus surgery early int he offseason, on his physical.
Said Jones: “Really, it’s pretty simple for me, there is no hidden item there. You’ve gotta pass a physical. We’ve never completed an agreement until the player passes the physical. That implies that yours—yours being the doctors, the trainers, everybody involved—get to take a look at it. That goes with the territory. So, we would have basically looked at the same conditions with the physical. As you know, we were in on making an offer for him.
“So, he would have come to Dallas for us, and we will all just guess what would have happened.”
Asked whether he’d revisit the deal, Jones said, “Again, I don’t anticipate, standing here right now, revisiting that situation. Is it possible? Yes.”