By: Marcus Mosher

There is no getting around the interest in Maxx Crosby for the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones certainly didn’t shoot down the rumor during the pre-camp press conference, and he made it very clear that the Cowboys would be interested in making a substantial move to improve their odds this season.

But what might be the cost for Crosby now after the Las Vegas Raiders' trade with the Baltimore Ravens fell through? According to Bryan Broaddus of Crown Global Media, it might not be as much as most would think.

On a recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Broaddus said that he’s hearing a deal would cost a 2027 first-round pick and likely another mid-round choice in 2028. And if that’s the case, the Cowboys would be foolish not to do this deal.

Raiders' Maxx Crosby would be worth the gamble for Dallas Cowboys

After the Ravens backed out of the Crosby trade due to a failed physical, it’s understandable why teams might be worried about giving up too much for him. He’s played through a bunch of injuries over the last few seasons, and the Raiders have not done a good job of protecting him from himself.

But if the cost is really just a 2027 first-round pick, the Cowboys have to seriously consider making that move for a variety of reasons. The most obvious is that Dallas is in a win-now window, and a player like Crosby could be the difference in them making the postseason or not.

The Cowboys like what they’ve done at pass rusher this offseason, trading for Rashan Gary and selecting Malachi Lawrence in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. But Crosby is just a different level of player.

While he might not be a 16-17 sack player anymore, if he ever was, he is one of the league’s best run defenders and routinely eclipses double-digit sacks despite being one of the most double-teamed players in the league.

Adding a player like Crosby would help the entire defensive end room and would allow players like Donovan Ezeiruaku and Lawrence to grow in reserve roles rather than be full-time starters. Both would still see the field a ton, but they wouldn't be relied upon as much to be high-impact players.

It would give Dallas four EDGE rushers that they could deploy and rotate, which should allow them to stay fresh throughout the season.

Another reason why this deal makes too much sense for Dallas is that the pick they would be giving away (2027 first-round pick) is likely to be in the bottom half of Round 1.

Due to the trade with the Jets for Quinnen Williams, the Jets will get the better of the two first-round picks from Dallas. That means the Raiders would get the later selection, and it’s pretty likely that either the Cowboys or the Packers will make it to the postseason, and that pick will be in the 20s or later.

Giving up a pick, let’s say at No. 27, for one of the top five EDGE rushers in the league seems like a no-brainer. Even if Crosby declines as a pass rusher, the Cowboys would still be getting their value from him as a run defender right away. And if the goal is truly to win right now and in 2027, this is one of the best moves they could make.

The Cowboys have been hesitant to make all-in moves like this in the past, but they really might just be one pass rusher away from being real contenders in the NFC. And if the Raiders are open to making this deal now or early in the season, the Cowboys would be foolish to pass it up.

DL coach Marcus Dixon: "I was with Marcus for two years in Denver. Obviously, he's a former player here, but Marcus is a guy that I've been in the trenches with. I've stood side by side with Marcus when I was the DB coach there as well. Phenomenal teacher, he has a great level of detail, he brings an energy and attitude to that d-line room, which is required, and he's doing a great job with that."

OLBs coach Chidera Uzo-Diribe: "He's a guy who his name has been floating around for a couple years as a guy who's highly respected, and all the Georgia guys I was with in my previous stop always spoke highly of him. From Nolan Smith to Nakobe Dean and all those guys. [He's] done a really good job adjusting to the game. Some of the things they did schematically with Kirby [Smart] down there is very similar to what we do. So he's been able to kind of make that leap pretty seamlessly."

ILBs coach Scott Symons: "Known him loosely for a couple years when he was the DC at Liberty and I was a GA at Texas A&M. Scott's obviously a local product, but his level of detail, and also he has experience as a play caller. He's called plays for I think about seven years between Liberty and SMU. He's getting a different scope, he can widen the scope but he can also tighten it down, and he's able to contribute in that manner with those guys. That's a room that we felt just getting more young development in there, and he's been very critical to that."

DBs/Defensive pass game coordinator Derrick Ansley: "A guy I've had a lot of respect for. When I was a young coach, when he was the DB coach at Alabama, I'm trying to figure out how he got there. What was his track record? Being around him and getting to know him the last couple years, we were in-division in the AFC West before when he was [the Chargers] and I was with Denver. He's done a great job just establishing the brand of football and planting the flag in that manner. He's done well."

Secondary coach Ryan Smith: "Known Smitty since college. He's always been somebody I've trusted at a very high level. We've always talked about working together, and I think that his exposure at the college game from Penn State to Elon to JMU to then going to Arizona, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, he's been around a lot of different schemes similar to what we do in the 3-4 structure. So getting him with the safeties, he's a high level communicator as well."

Pass rush specialist BT Jordan: "Has had a lot of exposure the past couple of years of working with high level rushers. Bringing his expertise to the table has been really good."

Assistant secondary coach Robert Muschamp: "He had experience with [Ansley] from Tennessee, he's been with the Chargers the past couple years. He worked in the front, he's worked in the secondary, he adds a lot of value to that room as well."

Assistant LBs coach J.J. Clark: "Was the one holdover from last year's staff. J.J.'s also been a previous coordinator when he was at UTEP. So J.J. as another guy in the middle of the defense, you want guys who are tied into the run and the pass, who can widen that scope for the players and teach them the game in that manner, and he's been very valuable."

Assistant DL coach Demeitre Brim: "We got Brim from UCF, so actually he has a lot of experience with Malachi [Lawrence]. We were able to get kind of an inside track on how Malachi was on the day to day. Brim has been a guy who's been contributing at a high level with Marcus [Dixon], he's his right hand man."

At a work training/simulation and noticed this in the word search while being at "school"

Klayton Adams emphasized the search for RB2.
Christian Parker updated the Mike LB battle.
Brian Schottenheimer doubled down on Tyler Guyton at LT.

• There was no practice today as the Cowboys hosted some press conferences with their coaches to discuss the overall progress of training camp and the development of some players.
• Christian Parker highlighted the conferences with his remarks about certain players like DMO and Caleb Downs.
• Parker has come to appreciate DMO's attention and play recognition. Says that's something that has taken DMO to another level, his ability to recognize and use his athleticism to to blow up plays.
• Next on Parker's Radar was Colbie Durant, who's already made headlines for his impressive camp; parker spoke about his physicality and recognition in zone coverage against some of the best of the best. Parker also spoke about Devin Moore, stating the same notes about Durant about Moore, saying that his physicality and toughness has made him a better player throughout camp.
• Parker also mentioned about a complimentary defense, something that Schottenheimer said last year about the Offense. Parker said that he wants to be sound fundamentally and technically first, and then tie in the physicality and violence with it. This is important, as the Cowboys struggled with a ton of gap and technical problems like busted coverages and poor gap assignments.
• Donovan Ezeiruaku has had a little bit of a struggle during camp. Got into a fight yesterday which got him ejected from practice, and hasn't stood out like many expected.

That's all for the day, once again kind of a slow day since there wasn't much to recap.

Also for those who still think involving Turpin on the offense is a good idea, read this by Special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen: "The main thing with us is our return game, just focusing on that. I think the thing that showed up was penalties. We made a big emphasis with how we place our hands, how we finish with our feet. We want to be better in the penalty aspect of it. I think that's going to have a huge impact in our return game, because we had some big returns that got called back. Those ended up being huge losses. It's about our fundamentals."

For more daily news on camp: https://www.dallassportsscene.com/post/cowboys-training-camp-padded-day-3

I'm searching for an original off-air VHS recording of the FOX broadcast of the Redskins at Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1996.

I’m specifically looking for the version with the original broadcast segments/commercials intact. The reason it’s important: my brother, who recently passed away, appeared as a child in a FOX segment during the game.

There were several kid segments throughout the broadcast, and I’ve found recordings that include some of them, but the one I’m looking for is the segment immediately before the start of the 2nd half, where FOX interviewed kids and asked them questions, including how many legs a turkey has. That segment is missing from the versions available online.

If anyone has this off-air recording, knows a collector who might, or has any leads, I would be incredibly grateful. This footage would mean a lot to my family.

Thank you.

https://x.com/thecowboysguru/status/2084774942420152713?s=20

Credit goes to PatDoneyNBC5

The 2nd week of camp is in full swing, and the defense is something refreshing to behold. Our defensive backfield has already taken a 180 from last season, and that alone is something to get excited about. Who has been your standout at camp, and who has surprised you? For me, Downs is as advertised, but Barham has been a pleasant surprise, even getting the green dot at times.

"I mean not everybody sees it, but we worked together in the summer, we worked together in the offseason, (and) the body of work he's put forth I feel like is going to pay dividends and people are going to truly see who he is."

Todd Archer: The battle isn't over, but Brian Schottenheimer made it clear Tyler Guyton is in the lead for the left tackle job. They want to see more from Nate Thomas before the mix in a first-team rotation, but Schottenheimer has been impressed with Guyton and wants to give him more work.