Five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher could be Jerry Jones' final blockbuster move as Cowboys owner
Five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher could be Jerry Jones’ final blockbuster move as Cowboys owner originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Maxx Crosby is still the best player the Dallas Cowboys could get to fix their underwhelming defense that hit rock bottom last season. And with training camp right around the corner, Jerry Jones has one last chance to pull off a trade.
Dallas already tried three times this offseason to get the Las Vegas Raiders star. Tom Brady’s franchise actually agreed to send Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks instead, but the deal dramatically collapsed when he failed his physical test because of a bad knee.
That sent him right back to Vegas, but Dallas is still highly interested in having him on the squad. Pro Football Network’s Cooper Kleinberg thinks the Cowboys are still very much in the mix, alongside the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.
Even coming off a knee injury, Crosby remains one of the most productive edge rushers in football. Last season, he put up 73 tackles, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles, an interception and six passes defended, bringing his career totals to 439 tackles and 69.5 sacks over 110 games. That elite edge production is exactly what Dallas has been missing since trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers.
Kleinberg explained why the fit makes sense and why the timing matters so much for Jerry Jones right now.
“Between Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens, the Cowboys already have one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses. Adding Crosby to a defense led by Williams, Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland, and rookie Caleb Downs would make the unit even more complete,” Kleinberg wrote, adding that the move “could mark one of Jones’ final blockbuster moves as Cowboys owner.”
However, a deal won’t be cheap. The Raiders kept their asking price high after the Ravens’ trade collapsed, and Dallas has less draft capital to offer after surrendering a 2027 first-round pick for Quinnen Williams.
Still, Jones hasn’t closed the door. In March, he told reporters he didn’t anticipate another run at Crosby but wouldn’t rule anything out. If it happens, it would slot Crosby next to Williams and Clark on a defensive line built to finally support Dallas’ loaded offense.
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