The Dallas Cowboys are already drawing buzz for 2026-27, and the latest chatter points to another swing at changing the face of their defense.
After an offseason that brought a fresh look under first-time coordinator Christian Parker, Dallas still has room to improve. The team also has not closed the door on another trade this season, which is exactly why the rumor mill keeps spinning around star-level targets.
That’s where Maxx Crosby comes back into the picture.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report included the Cowboys in a bold trade prediction that would send Dallas after the Las Vegas Raiders’ All-Pro pass rusher. It’s a familiar name for Cowboys fans, too, because Dallas was previously in talks with the Raiders about a possible Crosby deal before he was shipped to the Baltimore Ravens. That move fell through after Crosby reportedly failed a physical, and he ended up back in Las Vegas.
The bigger question now is how long he stays there.
Dallas had already thrown serious capital at the idea before the 2026 NFL Draft. According to the report, the Cowboys first put forward the No. 20 overall pick and star defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, who was later traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
When that didn’t get it done, Dallas came back with the No. 12 overall pick and a third-round selection. The final offer was even steeper: No. 12 overall and a second-rounder.
Knox’s version takes the aggression up another notch. His proposal has the Cowboys sending two first-round picks and edge rusher Rashan Gary, whom Dallas acquired this offseason.
That kind of package would be a massive price, but it’s the sort of move the Cowboys would have to weigh if they’re where they expect to be by the trade deadline. Dallas could also hold off until midseason to get a better read on how Crosby looks coming off the season-ending knee injury that required surgery.
If the Cowboys actually pulled it off, it would fit the kind of all-in push Jerry Jones has been hinting at for the last two seasons.
Crosby’s production last season makes the attraction obvious. In 15 games, he put up 73 total tackles, 28 tackles for a loss, 20 quarterback hits, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception. He would clearly raise the ceiling of Dallas’ defense.
The only real questions are whether the Cowboys are in position to make that kind of move and whether the Raiders would be willing to move on from a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowler.
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Maxx Crosby Just Got Pulled Back Into Raiders Trade Talk
The Cowboys latest round of restructures has turned a previously tight cap situation into one with real flexibility, and that immediately changes the kind of phone calls they can make ahead of the trade deadline. Dallas has gone from a little more than $14 million in room to roughly $33 million, a jump that puts premium players back on the table if the front office wants to chase a bigger swing.
Maxx Crosby is the name that naturally rises to the top of that conversation because of his contract and his status as one of the leagues most disruptive edge rushers. For Raiders fans, it is another reminder that whenever a contender finds unexpected cap space, Crosbys name tends to surface almost instantly, even if the path from speculation to a real move remains a long one. [Read more 🡒]
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The Raiders are trying to reset after a 3-14 season, and the early signs of that rebuild have already put a couple of franchise-defining choices in focus. Klint Kubiak was hired after the Super Bowl and quickly settled the quarterback question by naming Kirk Cousins the starter, leaving rookie Fernando Mendoza in a limited role as the staff tries to stabilize the offense and give the roster a clearer direction.
Maxx Crosbys status adds a harder layer to the picture. The pass rusher remains one of the most valuable players on the roster, but there is already a sense that Las Vegas could weigh a trade if the team is not in playoff position by midseason, with an eye toward collecting draft capital for the next stage of the rebuild. For a fan base that has already watched one painful season slip away, those are the kinds of decisions that will define whether this is a quick reset or a longer overhaul. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Fans Have Every Reason To Watch This Maxx Crosby Rumor
The Cowboys just gave themselves a lot more breathing room by restructuring deals for Kenny Clark, DaRon Bland and Jake Ferguson, pushing their cap space from a little over $14 million to roughly $33 million. That kind of financial flexibility usually gets the league's rumor mill moving, especially when a contender is trying to position itself for a major deadline swing.
For Raiders fans, the obvious name to watch is Maxx Crosby. Dallas now has the kind of room that could fuel talk of a big defensive addition, and Crosby fits the sort of headline-grabbing move that changes a season in a hurry. Nothing has been confirmed, but when a team opens up that much space this close to the season, the speculation around a premier edge rusher is going to linger. [Read more 🡒]