There is no secret that Dallas is desperately trying to rebuild that defense. Max Crossby would have fit right in. However, the Dallas Cowboys have missed out on an elite pass rusher. 

As per ESPN’s NFL insider Jeremy Fowler, general manager Jerry Jones offered their first-round draft pick (No. 12 overall), also a future second-round pick (maybe in 2027), and added to this, Jones also included a veteran player for Crosby. 

“Dallas kept a hard line throughout. The franchise wasn’t willing to part with two first-round picks, hoping its 12th pick in April’s draft, plus a future second-rounder, would be enough to entice Las Vegas,” said Jeremy Fowler.

He went on to state, “Dallas was also willing to package a veteran player to sweeten the deal, but Vegas wasn’t interested in that. The Raiders prioritized picks.”  

The Las Vegas Raiders did have a steep asking price for the pass rusher. Vegas wanted two first-round draft picks. This was the same asking price set by Jones for pass rusher Micah Parsons. As the famous saying goes, what goes around comes around. 

The Cowboys were confident that a deal for Crosby would happen. That was not the case, as teams showed up with those two first-round picks Vegas was asking for. 

The Baltimore Ravens acquired Crossby via a trade from the Las Vegas Raiders. The Ravens met the asking price of the Raiders and offered them two first-round draft picks to seal the deal. 

The Raiders received the 14th overall pick in this year's draft and will receive a 2027 first-round pick. 

The Raiders did get a better deal, unless that veteran player is a starter. The Cowboys were long-time admirers of Crosby but did not think he was worth two first-round picks.

Should Dallas go after this veteran free agent?

Now that Crosby has been dealt to the Baltimore Ravens. There is still one pass rusher that the Cowboys can go after. Trey Hendrickson announced that he will not be returning to the Cincinnati Bengals after the franchise did not tag him before the deadline. 

Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys should be all over this elite defender. Hendrickson is a free agent; Dallas will only need to negotiate with him and not with any franchise. 

Hendrickson, with age not on his side at 32, can still be an enormous boost to this current Dallas defense. For this to happen, Jerry Jones will need to open that cheque book. 

What do you think? Tell us in the comments and read more at the Dallas Cowboys Community!

Written by

Samvruth Raj

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu