If the Cowboys are going to chase an edge rusher before the Nov. 10 trade deadline, it sounds like they’ll have to go all in.
A small upgrade probably won’t be enough to fix a defense that has been rough all season, and the problem is obvious: true difference-makers at edge don’t come available often. When they do, the asking price is steep and the competition is fierce.
Maxx Crosby was already in the Cowboys’ orbit once. Dallas tried to land him in March, but the deal was stopped by the Baltimore Ravens after a failed physical. That seemed to shut the book on any real chance of Crosby ending up in Dallas, especially after he re-committed to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Still, The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero says the door may not be fully closed.
Pelissero believes the Raiders will keep listening if teams come calling on Crosby, and he pointed to the kind of massive offer that could change everything for Las Vegas general manager Jon Spytek.
"Maxx Crosby wants to be a Raider, he has no desire to leave, and he is definitely not forcing his way out. But GM John Spytek is sure to get calls over the next 10 days, leaving open the possibility of another blockbuster," Pelissero wrote.
He also raised the comparison to Jeffrey Simmons, asking, "If a 29-year-old Jeffrey Simmons can get traded for two first-round picks and more, why can’t a 29-year-old Maxx Crosby?" Pelissero added, "And if the Raiders were willing to trade him for that package in March, why wouldn’t they do it again now if the value is there to accelerate their rebuild?"
For Dallas, that means any serious run at Crosby would likely require a huge package - the kind of offer that looks a lot like what the Bears sent the Titans in the Simmons deal, which included two first-round picks and a swap of Day 3 selections.
The Ravens’ March deal for Crosby also cost two first-rounders, so that appears to be the floor for what the Raiders would consider. And even that might not be enough now, since Crosby’s desire to stay could make the whole situation messier from Las Vegas’ perspective.
The Cowboys didn’t want to pay two first-round picks back in March, and it’s unclear whether that has changed. Their defense has looked bad enough to make a bold move tempting, but the draft capital issue still matters. Dallas does have first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, though it only has 10 total selections across those two years.
At this point, Crosby still seems unlikely to move. But after the Simmons trade and with the urgency Jerry Jones has shown in recent years, it’s hard to rule anything out completely.
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That leaves the Cowboys in a tricky spot, because the most workable path may be the kind of deal teams almost never pull off in-season. A player-for-player swap would fit the roster math better than a pick-heavy trade, but it would also force Dallas to consider moving a key piece from its own lineup. George Pickens, currently on the franchise tag, is one of the names that naturally comes into that discussion, which is exactly why the deadline feels more complicated than a simple buyer-or-seller decision. [Read more 🡒]