Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wouldn’t rule out re-engaging in trade talks for edge rusher Maxx Crosby, while saying he didn’t anticipate such a move since his club is “pretty far down the road” in free agency.
The Cowboys were on a short list of suitors when the Baltimore Ravens agreed to send two first-round draft picks to the Las Vegas Raiders for Crosby, only to back out of the deal a day before it could become official.
When Crosby was still apparently headed to Baltimore, Dallas acquired edge rusher Rashan Gary from Green Bay for a 2027 fourth-round pick on the first day of free agency this week.
The Cowboys have been in flux with their pass rush ever since sending young star Micah Parsons to the Packers for two first-rounders a week before the season started last year.
“We’re pretty far down the road relative to what our plans are,” Jones said Thursday when asked about Crosby at an event promoting an INDYCAR Series street race that will run by the 80,000-seat home of the Cowboys in Arlington. “So while I don’t anticipate it, I don’t want to rule anything out.”
Dallas is trying to rebuild a defense that was among the worst in the NFL last season. Christian Parker was hired as defensive coordinator, and the Cowboys signed two safeties in Jalen Thompson, who spent his first six seasons with Arizona, and P.J. Locke.
The Cowboys added some salary cap flexibility by sending defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco for a third-round pick this year. While Dallas has two first-rounders, the club was without another pick until the fourth round before trading Odighizuwa.
Odighizuwa was a third-round pick in 2021 and signed an $80 million, four-year extension last year, before negotiations stalled with Parsons.
That relationship soured; the Parsons trade to the Packers sent defensive tackle Kenny Clark to Dallas. Then the Cowboys used one of the first-round picks from the Parsons deal to acquire star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets.
Dallas had three defensive tackles with contracts carrying an average annual value of at least $20 million, and the Parker hiring meant a switch to a 3-4 base defense, creating even more of a log jam with the interior of the defensive line.
The Cowboys placed the $27.3 million franchise tag on receiver George Pickens and have until July 15 to try to reach a long-term deal with CeeDee Lamb‘s star sidekick. That’s another reason for the Odighizuwa trade.
“We needed to spread it around a little bit,” Jones said, referring to the salary cap. “Let’s not take anything away from him individually, but we’ve got two outstanding football players, we have other backup players, plus we don’t want to rule out drafting a player.”
Parker is the third defensive coordinator hired in three years, after those units struggled in one season each under Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus. The blown assignments and other poor play were particularly pronounced with Eberflus.
“I feel very good about it,” Jones said. “We have nowhere but up to go on defense. It’s not anyone’s fault at all. But we’ll almost assuredly be much better. And I’m betting on us improving on offense. That ought to get us with better feeling when we get to December.”
While Gary recorded at least 7.5 sacks for the fourth time in the past five seasons, he didn’t have any in the second half of 2025. The expected boost from the addition of Parsons was there early in the season, when Gary led the NFL with 4.5 sacks through three weeks, but fizzled late. Parsons missed the final three games after tearing an ACL.
The comparisons are likely to continue since Gary and Parsons have essentially traded places in the past year. The 28-year-old, who spent his first seven seasons in Green Bay, doesn’t see it that way.
“He was able to reach out to me, I was able text him back,” Gary said. “But I have yet to be able to really have a conversation with him. At the end of the day, it’s a business, so I don’t look at it as trading places or things like that. I’m just coming here to be me and be the impact (player) that the Cowboys need.”
The Cowboys also traded defensive end Solomon Thomas to Tennessee in a deal that included a seventh-round pick swap between the clubs.
Dallas is changing the competition behind quarterback Dak Prescott by signing Sam Howell and releasing Will Grier. Barring other quarterback changes, Howell will compete with Joe Milton for the backup job.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
