At every instance this offseason, going back to late February when it appeared that the Dallas Cowboys were on the brink of making a massive trade to bring in pass-rusher Maxx Crosby before being outbid by the Ravens–who then sent Crosby back to the Raiders with a failed physical–if the prospect of the Cowboys getting back into deal-making mode comes up, you can bet that Crosby’s name will be raised.
It happened in the wake of the failed physical, when NFL rumors swirled that the Cowboys would pounce. It happened again throughout training camp after Jerry Jones hinted the Cowboys were nearing a blockbuster trade, one that never actually came to fruition, despite ongoing discussion. And it happened again last week when Dallas restructured contracts and created $33 million in cap space, enough to fit Crosby’s contract in neatly.
Cowboys Talking Trade, But No Action Yet
But no trade for Crosby has come to pass, which makes it more than fair to wonder if it ever will or if the Cowboys simply moved on and will look elsewhere if they want to make another major deal. Remember, they did so last November when they moved to bring in star lineman Quinnen Williams. If this season gets off to a solid start, with Super Bowl expectations already bubbling, there will be plenty of conversation about potential Cowboys trades.
For Cowboys beat writer Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News, it’s a good bet that it happens.
Writing his 2026 predictions column on Wednesday, Hoyt had a trade prominent on the list: “I think the Cowboys will make a splash before the trade deadline: The Cowboys have a lot of optimism about this year’s team, but they know they’ll likely need more defensive firepower if they want to go on a run in the postseason.”
A Deal … But Not a Maxx Crosby Deal
And now we circle back to the perma-interest in the Cowboys and Maxx Crosby. Hoyt also added that he does not think, int he end, that Crosby would be the target for Dallas. We’ll have to see how that plays out–a poor season for the Raiders, combined with a relatively healthy looking knee for Crosby, will put him firmly back in the trade mix, for the Cowboys and others.
But Hoyt says it is a no-go.
He writes: “But it won’t be for Maxx Crosby: It’s worth pointing out that the Cowboys were seriously interested in Crosby this offseason. They were willing to offer multiple picks in the 2026 NFL draft to make it happen, including a first-round pick. I’m not sold on them being OK with the same knee situation that caused the Ravens to abandon their deal with the Raiders, however.”
Cowboys Predicted to Make ‘Splash’ Trade (But Not That One)