At this point, it would be logical to consider the Dallas Cowboys better candidates to be sellers at the NFL trade deadline than the Las Vegas Raiders. At 2-4 and yet to play a complete football game on both sides of the ball, the Cowboys aren’t far from a lost season. But while the Raiders are a game better than Dallas, they play in the AFC West, with Kansas City and Denver, and their playoff hopes look dim after a three-game losing streak. So, hey, maybe they’re ready, finally, to deal away Maxx Crosby.
And maybe the Cowboys, with a clearer path to the playoffs thanks to the dumpster fire that is the NFC East, will be the ones who can land him.
Cowboys Could Remain Looking for Trades
That prospect was raised by longtime NFL insider Jason La Canfora, formerly of the Washington Post. Despite the slow start, there are still expectations that the Cowboys will keep investing in this team, which team owner Jerry Jones has felt has enough talent on hand to reach the Super Bowl. Jones has made clear, he is still open for business, still hoping to make this team better.
The Cowboys have multiple areas they could address, but it would seem a big swing for a pass rusher is the most pressing of needs. Could the Cowboys address that need with 19 days to go before the deadline? The Raiders have given no indication that, after nearly trading Crosby to Baltimore, they’re putting their star back on the market. But a few more losses might sway the Raiders to send him elsewhere.
Maxx Crosby Is the Big Bish
La Canfora expects the Cowboys to stay busy on the pass-rush front. They have just seven sacks on the season, and only 2.5 of those came from their edge rushers. Josh Sweat is the more likely target, but La Canfora said that longtime connections with Mark Davis of the Raiders means Crosby talks could be re-ignited.
He says: “Josh Sweat is someone NFL teams are trying to pry away. And Jerry and Stepen Jones will be at the head of that list. They have a strong relationship with the Bidwill family, the ownership family there in Arizona, and they’ve seen Josh Sweat up close in the NFC East. There’s plenty of other teams—the Jaguars, the Bears, even the Eagles, but I am told not to discount what Jerry and Stephen might do here. … Maxx Crosby is the big fish out there with the Raiders, and trust me, Jerry has a very strong relationship with the Raiders owner Mark Davis, and will be talking to him, too.”
Sweat would be useful for the Cowboys. But Crosby could be a game-changer.
Cowboys’ ‘Strong’ Ties Could Finally Bring Maxx Crosby Trade