The Dallas Cowboys are being projected as one of two serious suitors for Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby, a $106 million pass-rusher Bleacher Report analyst Gary Davenport labeled a future Hall of Famer on Monday, April 13. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has already confirmed the door is open, making this one of the more credible offseason trade scenarios circulating around AT&T Stadium.
Crosby’s situation in Las Vegas is messier than Raiders brass originally let on. At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Raiders general manager John Spytek told reporters the team had zero plans to move Crosby. Then Spytek turned around and agreed to ship Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for two first-round picks — a deal that collapsed only because Crosby failed his physical. That sequence tells you everything: Las Vegas is open for business on their best defender, whatever the front office says publicly.
Why Dallas Cowboys Need an Elite Edge Rusher Right Now
Dallas needs Crosby because the Cowboys’ pass rush has been a persistent weak point without a true alpha rusher commanding double teams on every down. Davenport identified Crosby as a perfect trade target for the Cowboys, citing both his elite production and the Raiders’ clear willingness to deal. Breaking down the advanced metrics on Crosby’s snap count and pressure rate over recent seasons, the numbers reveal a pattern: he generates disruption at a clip that few 4-3 or 3-4 edge rushers in the league can match.
The Cowboys have operated without a genuine top-five pass rusher since DeMarcus Lawrence’s best years, and the defensive scheme under coordinator Mike Zimmer demands a player who can win one-on-one matchups off the edge without safety help. Crosby, who plays with a relentless motor and generates pressure from multiple alignments — standing up outside linebacker, hand-in-dirt end — fits that scheme profile almost perfectly. His ability to convert speed-to-power against bigger offensive tackles is exactly what Dallas lacks at the moment.
The Washington Commanders Are Also in the Hunt
Washington’s involvement makes this a two-team race, per Davenport’s Bleacher Report analysis, and that competition could drive the asking price well above what either club wants to spend in draft capital. The Commanders, fresh off their own defensive rebuild under head coach Dan Quinn, have the cap space and the draft picks to make a run at Crosby — which means Dallas cannot afford to low-ball Las Vegas or drag its feet.
Jones acknowledged that a Crosby trade remains a genuine option for the Cowboys, a notable admission from an owner who rarely tips his hand on acquisition targets. That public signal likely serves a purpose: it tells the Raiders that Dallas is a motivated buyer, and it puts Washington on notice that the Cowboys are not sitting this one out. Whether Jones is willing to part with the kind of first-round pick premium that Baltimore already offered is the real salary cap question Dallas has to answer internally.
Key Developments in the Crosby Trade Saga
- Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport published his Cowboys-Crosby trade projection on Friday, April 10, framing Dallas as a natural fit given its defensive needs.
- The Ravens’ deal for Crosby fell apart specifically because of a failed physical — not because Las Vegas pulled back from negotiations — suggesting the Raiders remain active sellers.
- Spytek’s public denial at the Combine came before he agreed to the Baltimore deal, a credibility gap that signals the Raiders’ stated positions should not be taken at face value.
- Crosby’s contract carries a value of $106 million, making any trade package one of the more expensive defensive acquisitions in recent NFL history.
- Davenport’s analysis framed Crosby as a future Hall of Fame defender, a designation that raises both his trade value and the long-term return Dallas would expect from such a deal.
Can the Dallas Cowboys Actually Pull This Off?
Based on available data, Dallas has the motivation and the owner’s blessing, but the path to landing Crosby is genuinely complicated. The Ravens already proved a deal is possible in principle — two first-round picks was the reported price — and the Cowboys would likely face a similar ask. Jerry Jones has shown a willingness to trade premium draft capital for proven veterans throughout his tenure, from the Herschel Walker era forward, so the organizational appetite is there.
Dallas Cowboys general manager Stephen Jones would need to weigh the draft strategy implications carefully. Trading two first-rounders for a pass rusher in his late 20s is a calculated risk, not a sure thing. Crosby’s failed physical with Baltimore introduces a medical question mark that neither the Cowboys’ front office brass nor their medical staff can ignore. If that physical concern is significant, the trade value drops and Dallas might actually land Crosby at a discount — or walk away entirely. The numbers suggest the Cowboys should pursue this aggressively, but the medical due diligence is non-negotiable before any deal gets done.
The Washington Commanders add genuine urgency to Dallas’s timeline. Every week the Cowboys spend deliberating is a week Washington spends building a competing offer. Davenport’s projection puts both teams in the mix, and in a two-horse race for a player of Crosby’s caliber, hesitation is a losing strategy. Jones opened the door publicly. Now the Cowboys have to decide whether they walk through it.
What is Maxx Crosby’s contract value and how does it affect a Cowboys trade?
Maxx Crosby is under a contract valued at $106 million, making him one of the highest-paid edge rushers in the NFL. For the Dallas Cowboys, absorbing that deal would carry significant salary cap implications, likely requiring restructures or cuts elsewhere on the roster to maintain flexibility under the league’s cap ceiling.
Why did the Ravens-Crosby trade fall apart?
The Baltimore Ravens agreed to send two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for Maxx Crosby, but the deal collapsed after Crosby failed his physical with Baltimore. The failed physical does not automatically disqualify other suitors — each team conducts its own medical evaluation — but it introduces a health-related variable that any interested club, including Dallas, must investigate thoroughly before committing draft capital.
Who else is competing with the Dallas Cowboys for Maxx Crosby?
Bleacher Report analyst Gary Davenport identified the Washington Commanders as the other primary competitor for Crosby alongside the Cowboys. Washington and Dallas are NFC East division rivals, which adds a layer of urgency: losing Crosby to Washington would not only hurt Dallas’s defensive scheme breakdown but directly strengthen a team the Cowboys face twice every regular season.
Has Jerry Jones confirmed interest in trading for Maxx Crosby?
Jerry Jones publicly stated that a Maxx Crosby trade remains an option for the Cowboys, keeping the door open for a potential deal. Jones stopped short of confirming active negotiations, but his willingness to name Crosby specifically is consistent with his history of telegraphing serious acquisition interest before deals are finalized — a pattern Cowboys observers have tracked across multiple offseasons.
What position does Maxx Crosby play and how would he fit the Cowboys’ defense?
Maxx Crosby is an edge rusher who lines up both as a stand-up outside linebacker and a hand-in-dirt defensive end, giving coordinators flexibility in their defensive scheme. His ability to generate pressure from multiple alignments makes him especially valuable in a system that asks the edge rusher to win individual matchups without consistent safety support — a description that fits the Cowboys’ current defensive structure under coordinator Mike Zimmer.
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