Despite acquiring Rashan Gary, Dallas needs a true game-changer. Revisiting a conditional trade for the Raiders’ disgruntled star could finally provide the elite spark Jerry Jones' defense lacks.
FRISCO - It was a good and bold idea three months ago.
Since then, the Dallas Cowboys have added to the pass-rush fold veteran Rashan Gary (via a Packers trade) and rookie Malachi Lawrence (via a first-round pick).
But those moves, sound as they may be, don't make the previous idea - the trade bid for Raiders star Maxx Crosby - any less "good and bold.''
And I would strongly urge Dallas to circle back and call again to gauge Las Vegas' interest in moving the recently disgruntled Crosby.
The questions from there are ...
1 - When to call?
2 - How much to offer?
At one time this offseason, the Cowboys were willing to deal a first-round pick in 2026 (No. 12 overall) and a third-rounder in 2027, or No. 20 overall and a 2027 second-rounder (with the possibility of a starter included) to lure Crosby to his hometown area of Dallas.
Things, of course, fell apart from there - no fault of owner Jerry Jones' Cowboys.
The Ravens outbid the Cowboys with a package of two firsts; it was OK by me that Dallas decided that was too rich for their blood.
So Baltimore won the Crosby bidding ... until the Ravens reexamined him and his rehabbing knee and changed their minds, rescinding the trade and sending Crosby back to the Raiders.
It is the Cowboys' publicly stated view that their follow-up move to trade for Gary was meant to replace the Crosby idea.
It is my stated view however, that while Gary might be a "grown-(expletive) man'' (as coach Brian Schottenheimer calls him) and that Gary might be a "dawg'' (as Gary calls himself), what he's not is a defensive weapon that changes offensive game plans.
That guy is Crosby.
I think the Cowboys should revisit the concept with a new offer to the Raiders: His medical issue means the proposal won't be as lucrative because it'll have the word "conditional'' attached to it.
For instance: l'll give you that Round 1 pick in 2027. And the second pick? It's a conditional Round 2 selection. If Crosby plays X percent of the snaps, you get my 2. Anything short of X, you get a Round 7 pick. ... something like that.
If the Raiders decline the offer? The Cowboys should stay after 'em, right into the 2026 season. And that waiting can be beneficial for both clubs.
Maybe once the season gets rolling, Crosby will demonstrate himself to be a fully healthy player capable of producing 10 to 15 sacks. (He was not 100-percent healthy last year and still recorded 10 sacks. In 2023 he was fully healthy and recorded 14.5 sacks.
And at the same time, maybe the lowly Raiders get out of the gate poorly in 2026, which is a viable idea given the fact that this team that finished 3-14 last year will this season face a loaded early-season slate that includes games against the Chargers, Patriots, Chiefs, Rams and Bills.
Once Las Vegas starts the season 1-6 ... why bother hanging on to a 29-year-old player who is guaranteed $59 million over the next two seasons who has openly said he's tired of playing for a loser?
Of course, for Crosby-to-Dallas trade talk to heat up again, the Cowboys will need to avoid the possible fate of the Raiders and make noise as a possible contender during the early season. Dallas is favored in Weeks 1 and 2 over the Giants and the Commanders.
A 2-0 record might be enough to nudge Jerry into believing its worth it to enter the arms race that recently saw the Rams pull off a blockbuster trade for star Myles Garrett.
I do give Jerry Jones ands company a brownie point for taking a big swing at Crosby three months ago; that demonstrated an admission of a void when it comes to this defense.
But I'd like to assess them more than a brownie point. I'd like to give the Cowboys a generational pass-rush stud. And I'd like the bidding to start immediately, and to continue all the way to the Nov. 3 trade deadline.
