Not many expected the Baltimore Ravens to land Maxx Crosby this offseason, and that too by giving up two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bears were actually one of the teams many expected to be in the mix for the trade, along with the Cowboys, who, as it turns out, came very close to finalizing the deal.
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Before the 2025 season, Jerry Jones’ team decided to trade Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, leaving a significant void in their pass rush. Crosby could certainly fill that void and then some after a 7-9-1 season that saw the team miss the playoffs.
The Cowboys, for their part, offered a first-round pick and another second-round pick for the player. The team also restructured major contracts, including those of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb, to create over $66M in cap space. After signing Crosby, they could still acquire other stalwarts to bolster the secondary. Everything made sense, so what went wrong?
Prominent independent sports media personality Trey Wingo was the first to break the news that the Ravens coming in with two first-round picks, better than what the Cowboys offered, was enough for Jones’ team to back out of the trade altogether. They didn’t want to give up more draft capital.
Things are moving fast re Maxx Crosby. Last night Dallas thought they were close to a deal but since then other teams have raised the ante and potentially are offering the Raiders 2 1st round picks Expected Dallas to now shift their focus to Trey Hendrickson
— trey wingo (@wingoz) March 5, 2026
Dallas will now have better luck chasing a player like Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson. He will command as much as $30 million per year, but this is a player with huge upside. He posted 17.5 sacks in each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Injuries hindered his production last year, but 2026 could definitely be better.
Jerry Jones’ team could also go for a player like Chargers’ Odafe Oweh, who, at 27, is entering his prime and would be a long-term investment for the team. Last but not least, the team could trade within the division and acquire Jaelan Phillips from the Eagles. Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker was also part of the Eagles last year as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach, so a reunion makes sense.
Still, it makes you wonder at the end of the day what could have been if Crosby had ended up getting traded to Dallas. With a high-scoring offense and a solid defense, perhaps they could go toe-to-toe with the Commanders and the Eagles in the NFC East. Even the NY Giants are poised to be a strong opponent this year.
At the end of the day, Jones’ team is to blame as well. This club has become a “What if” team for years now. And why did they trade Parsons to the Packers only to end up chasing players like Crosby to replace him? Couldn’t Parsons have turned into a player like Crosby with time and proper development? Those are answers only Jerry Jones can give.
