Dallas faces a defensive shakeup as newly signed Charles Snowden hits the suspended list, reigniting high-stakes pursuit of Raiders superstar Maxx Crosby to bolster the pass rush.
FRISCO - Charles Snowden was a long-shot prospect to make the Dallas Cowboys roster in 2026.
And that shot just got a little longer.
Recently, the Las Vegas Raiders moved on from defensive end Snowden, but he found a new home with the Cowboys, who signed him to a deal in mid-June.
The Cowboys did so knowing that the suspension guillotine was hanging over his head due to a 2024 DUI; it's been long assumed that he might get a three-game suspension due to that incident.
And indeed, that is the case now.
Snowden, 28, has appeared in 31 games with 18 starts for the Raiders over the last two seasons. Last year he played in 15 games with nine starts and over the course of that that endeds up recording three sacks, five tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and an interception.
The defensive end entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears in 2021. He also spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022.
It has been speculated that one of the reasons the Raiders held onto Snowden into the spring is because of some uncertainty at the time because of the rescinded trade of defensive end Maxx Crosby.
In Dallas, Snowden sets up as somebody with some skins on the wall ... but also somebody who is plunked pretty deep on the depth chart.
The Cowboys' front-line EDGE rushers are Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku, with first-round rookie Malachi Lawrence behind them.
And Snowden way behind them.
Meanwhile, the buzz that connects Dallas to Crosby continues on.
To some, the Cowboys and their attempts to lure Crosby to The Star appear to be all but over.
But they shouldn't be. And we don't think they are.
The Cowboys twice tried to get Maxx earlier this offseason, but were rebuffed by the Raiders, and yes, we still think the franchise should be putting in a call to the Raiders for Maxx.
We think Dallas should offer up some conditional picks to help get Maxx through the door.
As it turns out ...
The New York Post's Vincent Bonsignore has recently discussed the idea of the San Francisco 49ers going after Crosby and dropped a little nugget of information that should make the Cowboys' ears prick up.
"The same reasons that the Raiders traded Crosby to the Ravens in March are still in place," Bonsignore wrote.
Right, so that is the first piece.
The Raiders are still of the thought that Crosby could be dealt, despite everything surrounding a move having cooled down.
We know that Dallas is likely going with the trusted "we like our guys" motto right now and will wait to see what it has in Oxnard before making any move.
But Bonsignore has just told us that the Raiders are open for business.
In Bonsignore's piece, for a proposed move for the 49ers, he wrote: "Multiple league sources have told The California Post that the framework for a suitable offer would consist of a 2027 first-round pick, a 2028 second-round pick and second-year edge rusher Mykel Williams."
So, two picks and a player.
Instead, how about a first-round pick and then a conditional pick that becomes higher value if Maxx, say, plays 60 percent of the snaps in 2026?
Snowden is the Cowboys/Raiders story of the day.
But we still think the Cowboys/Raiders story of the day should be Maxx.
