How much should Cowboys be willing to trade for Raiders DE Maxx Crosby?

The Dallas Cowboys reportedly don't want to give up the farm to land Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. 

The Cowboys are one of seven teams reportedly monitoring the Crosby situation, as the five-time Pro Bowler may be on his way to another club by the end of this week. While Dallas is interested in landing a star pass-rusher to fix its lousy defense, it remains unwilling to meet the Raiders' asking price. 

"Raiders are talking to a lot of people. But we would not give up two first-rounders," a team source told NFL Media's Jane Slater, which she shared on X on Thursday. 

But should the Cowboys be willing to let go of those picks? 

How much should Cowboys be willing to trade for Maxx Crosby? 

Trading for Crosby — who turns 29 on Aug. 22 — would signal the Cowboys believe they're in win-now mode, but they're closer to a rebuilding phase. Dallas has gone 14-19-1 over its past 34 games, missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. 

The Cowboys have two first-rounders (picks No. 12 and No. 20) in the 2026 NFL Draft (scheduled April 23-25 in Pittsburgh) and one in 2027. Dallas could use both of those picks to restock its defense, which allowed the most points in the NFL last season (30.1 points per game).

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has the Cowboys taking LSU Tigers cornerback Mansoor Delane (6-foot, 187 pounds) and Auburn Tigers DE Keldric Faulk (6-foot-6, 276 pounds) in his latest mock draft. But will either of those prospects become a player of Crosby's caliber?

Since the Raiders took him with pick No. 106 in 2019, Crosby ranks sixth in the NFL in sacks (69.5), via StatMuse. He also finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting during the 2023 season and sixth in 2022. 

Pairing Crosby with defensive tackle Quinnen Williams would suddenly give the Cowboys one of the better defensive lines in the NFL. Per Sports Info Solutions, the 2019 No. 3 pick recorded 49 pressures in 15 games with the New York Jets and Cowboys last season, the second most in his career. 

Plus, how many more opportunities are the Cowboys going to get to win a Super Bowl with quarterback Dak Prescott? The QB who turns 33 on July 29 remains in his prime, ranking third in the league in passing yards (4,552) and fourth in touchdown passes (30) last season.

The Cowboys don't want to continue avoiding wasting Prescott's peak or continually missing the postseason. To avoid that, they should consider being more aggressive in their pursuit of Crosby, even if it takes two first-round picks to land him.