Adam Schefter inadvertently lays out the path for the Dallas Cowboys to trade for Maxx Crosby, but there’s a catch
Maxx Crosby is happy to be a member of the Las Vegas Raiders. How does that affect the chances of a potential trade involving the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones shook the NFL world a couple of weeks ago when he said his team “did not walk away” from Maxx Crosby. But since then, no move followed for the Las Vegas Raiders star pass rusher.
At this point, it doesn’t sound like anything is imminent. However, it sure sounds like the Cowboys are trying to trade for a difference maker, be it Crosby or else. If they do want Crosby on the silver and navy, though, they may have to wait.
ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter recently provided his take on the timing for a potential Crosby trade, inadvertently laying out the path for the Cowboys to take a swing at making something happen.
Schefter on potential Crosby trade
“(Crosby) wants to be a Raider,” Schefter said on his podcast Tuesday. “He doesn’t want to go anywhere else. This is what he wants to do. And he was the one, really, that jump-started all that talk and all the movement that wound up with him being traded to Baltimore before he didn’t pass the physical and the trade was voided.”
In other words, Schefter thinks Crosby’s happiness with being in Las Vegas will keep him there. That is, for the start of the season.
“But here’s where I think it could change in time,” Schefter added. “Nobody’s going to say it now, but what if the Raiders are not winning regularly? What if the Raiders are 1-5, 2-6, and we’re coming up to the trade deadline in the first week in November, and there’s a team out there that could use a pass rusher and Maxx is playing at the level that we think he can, at another high level? I think that’s when the trade potentially could come back into play down the line.”
Such a slow start is certainly viable for Las Vegas, as their toughest stretch of the season happens early on. The Raiders play the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Rams prior to the trade deadline, among others.
So we know the Raiders could very well be in selling mode. As for the Cowboys, we’ll know if they’re contenders or pretenders by the time November comes around.
Cowboys’ schedule sets the table for potential deal
One of my biggest takeaways from the Cowboys’ schedule release back in May was that we’d knew what this team is in the first seven weeks of the season. By then, the Cowboys will have faced the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Bucs, Green Bay Packers, and Philadelphia Eagles. Those are in consecutive weeks, by the way.
Additionally, Dallas will have faced the New York Giants and Washington Commanders to start the season.
If the Cowboys go into November with a winning record despite such a tough stretch, how can they not be buyers at the deadline? And we know one of the easiest ways to “move the needle” for this defense will be to have a premium pass rush.
With half a season in the books, a trade would be even likelier as the Raiders would be forced to lower their asking price. That may open the door for the Cowboys to make an offer they’re comfortable with.
I think the Cowboys make some moves prior to the start of the season, but Crosby may be more of a November conversation than an August one at this point. Only time will tell. Anything can happen in the NFL, as we learned from the Micah Parsons trade under one week before last year’s Kickoff Game.
