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Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby has come close to winning the AP NFL Defensive Player Year award multiple times in his career. The veteran edge rusher will get another shot at making his bid for the top defensive honor in the NFL in 2026, with some added motivation.
Crosby logged 10 sacks in 15 games played last season. His career-high is 14.5 from the 2023 season which was his last fully healthy season.
Four of the last five Defensive Player of the Year awards have gone to edge rushers, being Cleveland Browns reigning DPOY and DE Myles Garrett (2023, ‘25), San Francisco 49ers DE Nick Bosa (2022) and Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (2021).
The bar that those three set when they won the award serves as a measuring stick for Crosby in 2026. Watt tied Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record with 22.5 in 2021. Bosa led the league in sacks with 18.5 in 2022. Garrett broke Strahan's decades-old record, later matched by Watt, with 23 sacks in 2025.
The 28-year-old has many things going for him as a perennial DPOY candidate. He's finished in the top six in voting twice in his career. Crosby has also led the league in tackles for loss twice.
In this Raiders Wire projection, Crosby will finish No. 3 in the DPOY race in 2026 -- his best finish yet -- while going for 16.5 sacks.
Individually, a healthy Crosby has proven he is capable of putting up these kind of numbers. This time he has even more of a reason to elevate his level of play in 2026 following the trade to the Baltimore Ravens that was overturned earlier this offseason.
Las Vegas did not add a marquee player to their pass rush this offseason, though they did select DT Brandon Cleveland in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. With a pass rush that will be similar in firepower next season, a higher finish for Crosby in the DPOY race will be predicated off of his individual excellence more than anything.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders DE Maxx Crosby likely to once again be in DPOY conversation
Continue reading...
Crosby logged 10 sacks in 15 games played last season. His career-high is 14.5 from the 2023 season which was his last fully healthy season.
Four of the last five Defensive Player of the Year awards have gone to edge rushers, being Cleveland Browns reigning DPOY and DE Myles Garrett (2023, ‘25), San Francisco 49ers DE Nick Bosa (2022) and Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt (2021).
The bar that those three set when they won the award serves as a measuring stick for Crosby in 2026. Watt tied Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record with 22.5 in 2021. Bosa led the league in sacks with 18.5 in 2022. Garrett broke Strahan's decades-old record, later matched by Watt, with 23 sacks in 2025.
The 28-year-old has many things going for him as a perennial DPOY candidate. He's finished in the top six in voting twice in his career. Crosby has also led the league in tackles for loss twice.
In this Raiders Wire projection, Crosby will finish No. 3 in the DPOY race in 2026 -- his best finish yet -- while going for 16.5 sacks.
Individually, a healthy Crosby has proven he is capable of putting up these kind of numbers. This time he has even more of a reason to elevate his level of play in 2026 following the trade to the Baltimore Ravens that was overturned earlier this offseason.
Las Vegas did not add a marquee player to their pass rush this offseason, though they did select DT Brandon Cleveland in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. With a pass rush that will be similar in firepower next season, a higher finish for Crosby in the DPOY race will be predicated off of his individual excellence more than anything.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Raiders DE Maxx Crosby likely to once again be in DPOY conversation
Continue reading...
