Should The Cowboys Be INTERESTED In Maxx Crosby?! - Kris Kretschman Show

The Dallas Cowboys are making moves this offseason, but are they the right ones?

On this episode of The Kris Kretschman Show, we dive into the possibility of the Cowboys making a blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby and what adding one of the NFL’s most relentless pass rushers could mean for the defense alongside Micah Parsons.

We also discuss teams inquiring about defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and whether Dallas should consider moving one of their most productive interior defenders if the right offer comes along.

Plus, we break down the Cowboys’ defensive improvements this offseason and whether the team is actually getting better on that side of the ball—even though Jerry Jones didn’t completely bust the budget in free agency.

Are the Cowboys quietly building a stronger defense, or should fans expect more aggressive moves?

🔥 Topics include:

The possibility of trading for Maxx Crosby

Teams calling about Osa Odighizuwa

The Cowboys’ defensive upgrades this offseason

Dallas improving without overspending in free agency

👇 Let me know in the comments:
Would you trade for Maxx Crosby if you were running the Cowboys?

Make sure to LIKE 👍, SUBSCRIBE 🔔, and turn on notifications for more Cowboys analysis, trade discussions, and offseason breakdowns on The Kris Kretschman Show.

Chapters:

0:00 - 0:42: Intro
0:43 - 8:58: Maxx Crosby Trade
8:59 - 9:06: Break
9:07 - 17:35: Osa Odighizuwa Potential Trade
17:36 - 17:42: Break
17:43 - 27:34: Defensive Improvements
27:35 - 27:41: Outro

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, what's going on, everybody? Welcome to the Chris Cutchman Show for Wednesday, March 11th, 2026. And on today's episode, I'm flying solo today. I know I usually have guests on, but I'm gonna fly solo on this one today. We're talking about Max Crosby being available again. Can the Cowboys pounce on that? I know there are some reports saying that they're not going to, but we'll still discuss that. Uso Diggy Zua potentially being made available in trades. That would be pretty insane if that happened. And then I also want to talk about the Cowboys with the bust to budget thing and why I still think the Cowboys have done some good work so far this offseason. But before we get into the episode, please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it. Without further ado, let's get into the episode. So the Ravens backed out of the Max Crosby trade, meaning that Max Crosby is available again. And obviously, around Cowboys Nation, there are a lot of fans saying you have to make this trade. You know, Jerry, you're the closest to making this trade. And people automatically said Cowboys are favorites to make this trade. And then we got more information. Hey, there was a failed physical there. And Dr. Cooper, the Cowboys doctor, was the one that failed him on his physical. But the the question I have now is okay, when it comes to Max Crosby, did they fail him on his physical? Or did they say, hey, for what we're giving up, we don't feel as comfortable as we should when it comes to trading two first round picks for a guy that we're not confident is going to be able to stay healthy. That might be the situation that's going on there. Now, I don't think that this is like 100% a done deal that the Cowboys aren't going to trade for Max Crosby. I don't think they're going to. Let me just say that. I don't think they're going to make the trade. But I do think that there is some, you know, some media uh spin to this when it can not, I'm not talking about from the reporters. I'm talking about from the Cowboys. I think the information that the reporters are getting from the Cowboys is coming from the Cowboys. They're legitimate sources. You know, I I would never disrespect reporters like that. But I think what the Cowboys might be putting out is hey, we have interest elsewhere, mainly because I think if they want to trade for Max Crosby, I think they want it to be for a certain price. They they're not going to give up a first-round pick like they were going to. Maybe a two for next year is what they would end up giving up, maybe a player at that point, maybe. But I think what the Cowboys are doing is saying, hey, we've moved on with our plans for the offseason. We do not believe that Max Crosby would be the best fit for this team at the current moment. And I can respect that. But maybe the Cowboys still say for the right price, we would do it. And maybe they go a little above the right price. Not totally above, just a little above the right price, right? For a guy like Max Crosby. Maybe that's the case. But I I don't know. I don't know 100% either way. I'm going to, I'm going to, I always trust the reporters. And I'm going to trust them here. And I'm going to lean towards the Cowboys probably are not going to trade for Max Crosby. But at the same time, like, you know, a lot, a lot of people will say Dallas is playing the media, and like 80% of the time, they're not. Like they're telling you what they're going to do. And then I think what happens is, you know, people will say, like, hey, look, this is Dallas playing some games through the media. I I I don't know. I don't see that being the case here. I I really don't. I think usually Dallas, when they when they tell reporters something, they're usually telling you, like, yeah, no, we moved on. Like, yeah, no, we're not really exploring this. I think they are very transparent with their fans from that perspective. So, you know, like, wouldn't Max Crosby be a great addition to this defense? Absolutely. Like, no doubt about it. Let's just be 100% honest with ourselves, guys. Like, this team needs a guy that's going to help them finish games. They don't have a player that's going to help them finish games right now. They just don't have that type of defensive end. They have good defensive ends. I like Rashawn Gary. Good player. I like Donovan Ezraku. Good player. Those guys are not going to finish games for you. Maybe Donovan Ezeraku turns into a guy that finishes games for you. Maybe Christian Parker has a better plan of attack for Donovan Ezraku and you see a more productive player there. But I'm not going to go off the strategy of hope, right? Like if the Cowboys were to add Max Crosby, that's such a great addition because now you have a guy that's going to help you finish games. Because this offense is good enough. It's good enough to go win a Super Bowl. It absolutely is. I think that this is the best offense in football. I know people say the Rams. I know people say the Seahawks, but I think it is the Cowboys. And the reason why I say that is because their defense does them absolutely no favors. Their defense does not get them takeaways. Their defense does not get off the field on third down. Or at least last year, that was the case. And because of that, I think that that significantly hampered the offense. And I think that when you look at this offense, there's still potential that they can tap into when it comes to a more explosive run game, right? Like if they can find a way to get Jadon Blue going, that would be, oh man, what a what a great thing that would be if they could get Jadon Blue going, because he has the type of talent that can that really pops off the screen, right? Jadon Blue. I mean, you see it. When that guy gets the ball in open space, I mean it's a wrap. But that's besides the point. I want to get back to Max Crosby. Like last year, the Cowboys did not have a pass rusher that can finish games. And so far this year, that you know, just from what we've seen in free agency, they don't have a pass rusher that can finish games. Now, I do think that there's guys in the draft that can help you do that, right? Like, I think an Akeem Mesador can help you do that. I think that an R Mason Thomas can help you do that. I think that a Cassius Howe can help you do that. But to the level of a Max Crosby, and I don't know if I don't know if I buy that. I I actually I don't buy that at all. Max Crosby would help you more this year than a guy like Mesidore or R. Mason Thomas or Romelo Height. Like there's plenty of good options at 20 that the Cowboys can pick from that those guys like they have legit juices pass rushers, but it's not to the extent of Max Crosby. And that's the way I'm looking at this. And you know, people are talking about hey, maybe a uh maybe an Oso Diggy Zoo for Max Crosby, you know, one-to-one trade. I don't know if that would happen either, because I don't know if the Raiders are interested in looking for a player going into like what is I think his sixth season, if I'm not mistaken. Because last year was his fifth year, right? Because he came in the same year as Micah. Micah was on his fifth-year option year last year. So yeah, going into his sixth season. Uh I'm not I'm not buying that uh that the Raiders are looking for a guy going into his sixth season. I I think they're looking for a pick that they can develop, right? Like I think they're looking for maybe even a younger player that they could develop, but I don't think they're looking for a veteran player that's going to help them right now. Like they're looking, they're trying to build the next great Raiders team. They're not trying to build a great Raiders team today for next year because they they know they're not there yet. They made some really good strides, right? Like this this offseason for them so far when it comes to free agency has been very good. But I think they understand where they are as a team. And I think the Cowboys understand where they are as a team. I think the Cowboys understand that when it comes to adding a guy like Max Crosby, that guy is going to help you win football games this year. And that's what the Cowboys need. Like, they don't have a 21-year-old quarterback like the the Raiders are about to have. They have a guy who's about to be 33 years old, still playing at a high level that could still play at a high level for easily another four years. That's the type of way Dak Prescott could play. And when I mean high level, I mean like top uh uh top five-ish level in the NFL, right? Like Matt Stafford is playing top five level football, and he's about to be 38 years old. So Doc could do the same thing. There's no doubt in my mind about it. Right? Like, you know, and and and that's the thing when it comes to Dak, I feel like you know, like Matt Stafford had to go to the Rams organization to win a Super Bowl, right? Like he had to get away from the Lions. I kind of feel like what's happening with the Cowboys right now is kind of like a new era of Cowboys football when it comes to what Brian Schottenheimer wants to do. He's trying to install a culture. So maybe Dak doesn't need a change of scenery to win a Super Bowl. Maybe the Cowboys needed to make their own change of scenery within their own organization to get Dak the Super Bowl that we know he deserves because of how good of a player he is. But yeah, Max Crosby, I don't see this one happening. I hope, right? We can all hope, but I don't see it. Hey, what's going on, guys? Hope you're enjoying the episode so far. If you guys haven't already, please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I would greatly appreciate it. Now, back to the episode. So I want to talk about the Oso Digizua trade rumors. Apparently, the Cowboys have been taking calls on Oso Digizua, and teams have been inquiring about the availability of O Digizua. And honestly, this is just good business from the Cowboys because while Oso Digizua is a very good player, a player like Oso Digizua to me is not untouchable, right? So if a team comes to you with a really good trade offer, you have to explore that possibility. Now, I'm gonna be honest with you guys, I'm not interested in trading Oso Digizua for a fourth or fifth round draft pick. A third round pick, you could talk me into it just because you could turn that into a linebacker. A second round pick, now we're talking. Now I'm like, all right, we have to seriously consider this, right? Because you need to add a linebacker, an edge, a cornerback. Like you're loaded right now at defensive tackle. You have Clark Williams, Odigizua. You just signed a nose tackle from the Los Angeles Chargers, you have uh um Solomon Thomas as well. And I know there's people saying, like, okay, that nose tackle that you signed from the Chargers, that has no bearing on Oso O'Digizua. Well, like it kind of does, to be honest with you, because if you're telling me that, you know, because you added this nose tackle, he's gonna be your zero tech. Now Kenny Clark is not playing zero tech as much. He's gonna play as your as your uh you know, your three-four uh defensive end. Same thing with Quinn and Williams, right? So it kind of does from that perspective because those guys, Williams and uh and Clark, have that, you know, they have that flexibility to play as either a nose tackle or a three-four defensive end. They have that flexibility, so that provides you uh, you know, the opportunity to play those guys more snaps there, and I think play positions that are just better suited for them, right? You would have a really powerful interior defensive line from that from that standpoint, right? Is Oso Dzu a scheme fit? That's the question you have to ask as well. Because, you know, like when you pay a guy the type of money that you're paying Oso Dizu, and I get it, he took a team-friendly contract, he took a lot less than we expected him to take. You still have to take into consideration that you are paying this guy around, I think, $20 million a year. Now, granted, the cap hit isn't that much, right? It's not $20 million a year, and it's not guaranteed money, and not all that is guaranteed money, but even still, I would say, like, look, if we're paying this guy the type of money we're paying him and he's not a scheme fit, then he's probably gonna play less than the value that we signed him for, right? Like, if if you're telling me that a player, uh a defensive tackle playing as a four-three defensive tackle, and that he fits that scheme, is a $25 million player. If he does not fit a 3-4, right, like if he doesn't fit a scheme that he's in, then he becomes like a $20 to $18 million player, and you're not getting the type of value that you get that you would want to get out of the player, right? And like here's the thing when it comes to the NFL, what people aren't gonna tell you is a most of these players are dependent on their scheme. Most of them. There are players that transcend the scheme, right? Guy like Max Crosby transcends the scheme. Miles Garrett, he transcends the scheme. Parsons, guys like that, they transcend schemes. They play in any scheme. They can play as a 4-3 defensive end, they could play as a 3-4 outside linebacker, or more so in Garrett and Crosby's case, they could play as a 4-I. Granted, it's not ideal, but they could play that and they can play it at a high level. Like those type of players, you don't you you can move them across schemes and they're still impact players. Does not matter. I don't think Oso Digizua is one of those guys. I actually know he's not. So is Oso Digizua good enough in what they're trying to do in that 3-4 front? Because you know, I know people are gonna say, hey, you're gonna be playing a lot more in nickel, right? Like you're not gonna be playing base defense as much as you usually do. I get that, I understand what you're saying, but also at the same time, when it comes to that, they are putting a heavy emphasis on, hey, we're gonna play a 3-4 front. And if that's the case, like guys, you really need to consider that this team is gonna do things like that, right? Right? Like they're gonna they're gonna build their defense with that personnel in mind. And if that's the way they're doing this, does Oso D Yizua fit that? It's a question I think you need to ask yourself because I I don't think he fits that. I mean, I think he can fit in and be a good defensive tackle for you, but are you getting the most out of him? I just don't know. So if you're not confident that you're getting the most out of Oso Di Zua, are you comfortable paying him the type of money that you're paying him? And also saying, Hey, we'll go light at other positions because we we want to be really strong at defensive tackle. That's another question you have to ask yourself. Now, like, is is Oso D'Yzua gonna be able to get you a player of equal or close to equal value? I don't know that a hundred percent. Like, if if you're telling me I could do Oso Dzu for Jordan Brooks from the Miami Dolphins, you know, like hey, look, Osa, appreciate appreciate the work that you've done. You've been a good player for this organization, but we we we we need to make the move, right? But I I don't see Miami going for that. It's it's the same thing I said with the uh Max Crosby situation. I don't think that uh the dolphins are interested in players that are gonna help them right now. Like they're trying to make the next great Dolphins team, they're not trying to make a great Dolphins team for 2026. Like that's why they're taking what, like an $100 million cap hit for Tua. We know what it is there, and it's probably gonna be a fire sale over there in Miami because of the fact that they have to pay their quarterback that's not gonna be on the team so much damn money. So, like, could you pull off a trade like that? I think it's unlikely because I think they want draft picks for Jordan Brooks, right? Like, I think I I don't think they're interested in in veteran players for Jordan Brooks. So then that takes you around the league. Is there a team that's looking to do a defensive tackle swap for a defensive end? Maybe there might be. We just saw one what last week when it came to the Jets uh uh trading for um I think Tavondre Sweat and they got Jermaine Johnson, the Titans did. So like it's not impossible. It's not impossible that you could end up seeing a trade that that you know sends a defensive tackle to another team for a defensive end. Do I think it's likely? No, I don't like I I just don't. So and and and the differences with that trade is the salaries, right? Like um Tavondre Sweat and Jermaine Johnson are both on rookie contracts. So it's much more feasible to fit that. And and you know, with the way their caps are set up, it's you know, it's it's a lot easier from that perspective. So yeah, like is Oso Diggy Zoo on the trade block? I I mean I assume that they are taking calls from because I don't know if they love the fit of Oso Diggy Zoo on this football team. I just don't know if they love it. And if that's the case, if you have questions about whether or not this guy can fit into your scheme, then you absolutely need to explore the possibility of trading him. But if you're gonna trade him, you do have to understand that this is a good player that provides value for your football team. So losing a player that provides value for your football team, you better get somebody in return that provides value for your football team. Or it's just it's not a trade that I'm necessarily interested in. I'm not interested in draft picks, right? Like if you could get me a third round draft pick, sure, I'll trade Oso Digizua. Now, and to be honest with you, even for a third round draft pick, I'm like, eh, I don't know. Because I just think Oso Digizua helps your football team way more this year than a third round draft pick. Second round draft pick is where I I really start to consider this and say, hey, we might need to think about this because you could turn that second round draft pick into a linebacker that's gonna help you day one, right? So that's where I look at that and I say, okay, I'll can I I think that's something to consider. But for a future draft pick, even like for 2027 draft, no, I'm not interested in that at all. Hey, quick break. If you guys haven't already, please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. Hope you guys are enjoying the episode, and let's get into the next topic. So the Cowboys have not busted the budget like Jerry Jones said he was going to do, but I want Cowboys fans to not get distracted and not get too down about this team because I do feel like this team improved, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I think you could play a game right now if you need to, and your defense would be better than it was last year. When I look at this starting unit, if you're playing in your base defense, your base 3-4, you're looking at uh get Rashawn Gary, Quinn Williams, uh Oso Deyizua, Kenny Clark, not in that order because Kenny Clark would probably be the zero, and then the two defensive tackles there. You have Donovan Azuraku. So that's your defensive line right there. That is a that is a good defensive line in the NFL. I think that that's actually a really good defensive line, if you ask me, right? And then you go to your linebackers, you're probably starting DeMarvian Overshone. And Maris Liafau would just have to play like linebacker, like off-ball linebacker. I know they want him to play as an outside guy. If you don't make any adjustments to this defense, and they're going to, like I'm just saying they're going to. But let's just say hypothetically, they weren't able to do that. Maris Liafal can play linebacker in the NFL. So you you have your your your front seven there, right? And then what your your corners would be is Bland, Revel, uh, would be your outside guys, and then Thompson and Hooker or Locke would be your safeties. If you're playing in a 4-2-5, now you're looking at a situation where you have uh Gary, you have Oso De Yzua, Quinn Williams, or Kenny Clark, like a combination of two of those three, and then you have Donovan Azuraku, you have the the two linebackers, and then what I would do is if if you're playing in nickel, I would just have Jalen Thompson playing the slot, right? Because you're not gonna play 100% of your snaps in nickel, that's just not gonna happen. So, like from that perspective, I think you're good, but you're going to need to add players to this defense. So that's where I look at this and I say, you can muster up a starting lineup with the personnel that they have right now. And I I just don't think they were even able to do that at the end of last year. But see, the thing is, it's not about mustering up a starting lineup for day one of the regular season. It's not. There's injuries that happen from now to the start of the season, and then from the start of the season to the end of the season. It's just the case, like injuries are a part of football. So you do have to take that into consideration. But at the same time, the offseason's not over yet. They still have two first-round picks that they're gonna add to this defense, I would assume. They still have plenty of offseason to make trades. And I I'm gonna you want to know why? I'm gonna give the cowboys the benefit of the doubt. Now, I know people may say I sound crazy for saying that. I'm gonna give the cowboys the benefit of the doubt here. And the reason why I say that is because, you know, we're looking at all these options for linebacker, Bobby O'Karake. Uh, you know, we were talking about other options at linebacker uh, you know, just a few days ago. Maybe the cowboys have something up their sleeves that they're not telling us, right? Like maybe they have a better plan in place than the plans that we're putting out there, just like they had last year with George Pickens. And that's where I'm gonna give the Cowboys the benefit of the doubt because they made a trade like that last year for George Pickens, which was better than any of the ideas that we had, right? They there was a whole hashtag being started about sending Keenan Allen to Dallas. We were talking about drafting a wide receiver, we were talking about after the draft an Amari Cooper, guys like that, like and you ended up with George Pickens, who's way better than any of the guys we were discussing outside of Ted Roe McMillan. So that's why I give the Cowboys the benefit of the doubt, where it's like we had all these ideas about who they should add as their number two receiver, and the entire time they knew they were trading for George Pickens. So if they can find that this year, their George Pickens, just at linebacker, that would be huge. And maybe they have that up their sleeve, and we just don't know about that. And Jordan Brooks from Miami would be that guy if they need to add another linebacker. Jordan Brooks from Miami is the Guy that I think they should go after. But like, I I I just think that this defense is going to be a lot better than it was last year. Like, just off the uh additions that they made already, they've added four players of their defense that were contributors for their football teams last year. Rashawn Gary, contributor, the nose tackle from the I'm sorry, uh Otito, I think his name is. I I'm I'm gonna have to hear his name pronounced before I really, you know, uh start saying it because I don't want to butcher his name. He was a contributor for the Chargers last year. PJ Lock, Jalen Thompson, those guys were contributors. You're you're adding NFL players to your football team, right? And like legit NFL players, not just NFL players. So when I look at it, you just added four players to your defense. I still think you need to add more. I still think you probably need to go add four more, and I think you have an opportunity to be a good defense next year. Luckily for them, they have a draft where they have two first-round draft picks. They can add two more players to their defense at premium you know spots in the draft. They could still trade for a guy, they could still sign some guys. I don't know. Like I I look at it and and I think that this is just to me, it's not as bad as a lot of Cowboys fans are making it seem. And by the way, breaking news, Trey Hendrickson will not be on the Cowboys. He's going to be signing with the Ravens. What I oh my god. Like what a what a shisty move that the Ravens did. That's terrible. That's besides the point. Um, I I was thinking like for a second, like, wait, do we have to change the the topic of the podcast for? But then I realized like, nah, we're good. So, but yeah, I I just look at this and I say, two more uh first round picks that you're gonna add to your defense, and I think you're probably gonna add two more starting quality players to your defense. And I think from that point, you know, you look at this and you say, Okay, you add an R. Mason Thomas, a Mesador, uh, a Romello Height, one of these guys at pick 20, and you add an Avian Terrell or uh a Mansoor Delane at pick 12. Now, you know, you're looking at this defense a lot differently. Like the way I would look at this defense, if okay, so I did the projected defense with just the players they have right now. Let's say hypothetically they trade for Jordan Brooks, uh, they draft a cornerback, let's just say Avian Terrell to be safe, and then let's just say R. Mason Thomas to be safe, right? Like, I think the best players at those spots would be Delane and Mesador, but let's just say they're off the board. So you're going into a season where you have you have your your your uh your defensive line looks like your tackles are um Clark, uh Otito from the Chargers, you have Williams, Odigizua, and you have Solom Thomas. So those are your guys. You can muster up a starting easy, you not just muster up, you can have a good starting lineup. So I would look at it in and say you have Clark at the zero, you have Williams and Odigizua as your uh as your defensive ends, and then your outside linebackers are um you have uh Gary, R. Mason Thomas, and then you have Donovan Ezaraku. So you have guys who can stop the run and guys who can rush the passer, because I do think Ezraku is gonna be better rushing the passer. R. Mason Thomas, I think, is gonna be a guy that's gonna come and be able to get after the quarterback. So now you look at that and you say, okay, there's legitimate answers on this defense, right, when it comes to uh defensive line perspective. And then you have the ancillary pieces with Maris Leafau and uh um uh Sam Williams, right? Which by the way, I actually really like that Sam Williams move. I know that that kind of got panned by a lot of Cowboys fans out there. The way I look at it is like, hey, he's a talented player and you're always signing him to a $3 million contract. Good in my books, gotta be on your best behavior, but that's besides the point. Then your linebackers look like Jordan Brooks and DeMarvian Overshoon. You can work with that. Your safeties look like Jalen Thompson uh and Malik Hooker or PJ Locke. You can work with that, and then your corners look like Avion Terrell and Revel on the outside, and then you have Daron Bland playing on the inside. I mean, I don't know. I I I don't that sounds like a pretty solid defense to me. Like it does. Like I think that that is a solid defense. I think you could win a lot of football games with that defense and this offense. That's just the way I look at it. And if they like here's the thing, we're talking about the bust the budget thing right now, but if they go into this season and that defense is playing at a higher level than they did last year, like way better than they did last year, and they have like a competent defense along with the offense that they have, and they're winning a bunch of games, and they end up getting to the NFC Championship game or getting to the Super Bowl. Nobody is talking about this bust the budget thing. Nobody. Wow, four years 112 for Trey Hendrickson. I'm good on that. What a terrible signing by the Baltimore Ravens. Probably a lot of funny money in there, but man, that's odd. But yeah, so that that's the way I look at this. I I think the bust the budget thing, while it is definitely a cliche and a gimmick, and something that's gonna be held over Jerry Jones' head for the rest of the offseason if they don't make more moves, does not mean that they didn't make significant progress from a personnel perspective on the defensive side of the ball because I just think that they did. That's gonna be it for the episode, though, guys. If you haven't already, please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe. I'll greatly appreciate it. And I will see you guys on the next episode.