If there is one thing that stood out as the most frustrating aspect of the Dallas Cowboys‘ reaction to the farce that the team’s defense showed in Week 5 against the Buccaneers, it’s not so much that the NFL‘s worst defense got steamrolled for the fifth straight week or that it was an undrafted rookie–Jalon Daniels–making his second career start who orchestrated the steamrolling.
No, the frustration had to be that, after the game and into Friday, the Cowboys seemed to have no answers and no real plan to find any.
They promised a hard look at the defense, and they said they had hard conversations. But they did not seem prepared to make hard changes that might well be necessary to get a decidedly soft group to play tougher. Players need to be benched or traded or waived. Coaches need to make drastic changes. The Cowboys, though, are saying they will stay the course.
It’s Maxx Crosby Time
Heck with that. It’s time to finally get the one thing done that the Cowboys have flirted with since late February. If the Cowboys want to save their season, they need a player who will not only bring his own level of flintiness to the group but will demand it from others. It’s time to trade for Maxx Crosby.
Yes, the Raiders are 3-1 and appear invested in this season. Yes, Crosby has said he wants to stay a Raider. But he’s also a Dallas area native who would like playing for the Cowboys. And the Raiders are a rebuilding team that could be persuaded–maybe–by the Cowboys crossing the threshold they would not cross back in the winter: two first-round picks.
Cowboys Finally Send 2 First-Rounders
Heavy’s Max Dible outlines how a Raiders-Cowboys Maxx Crosby trade would go, starting with sending their remaining 2027 first-rounder and their 2028 first-rounder to the Las Vegas.
He writes: “The Cowboys have a total of five sacks through five games this season. They are minus-3 in turnover differential and have created just two takeaways on the year, which is tied for last. They just lost to an undrafted rookie QB in his second start at home in primetime. The Cowboys have a great offense, and they have spent dearly to build it. They have a garbage defense but keep spending dearly to try and improve it.
“Dallas was a serious player for Maxx Crosby in the offseason but didn’t get all the way there. Crosby is playing well, with 2 sacks and a forced fumble through four games. He may not have rebuilt his value all the way to the two firsts that the Raiders almost got from Baltimore in March, but he’s definitely worth one first and another good pick. Jerry Jones is old enough and desparate enough to potentially acquiesce and just send Las Vegas two firsts for Crosby now. I wouldn’t want to trade the DE after a 3-1 start if I were the Raiders, but they tried to just six months ago and Jones is the type to make an offer teams can’t refuse.”
Cowboys Trade Pitch Finally Delivers Maxx Crosby After Week 5 Debacle