Is Maxx Crosby declining?
I’ve seen a few takes on social media, and it made me think for a second is one of the best defensive players in the league really going downhill skill wise?
I wanted to see the numbers for myself.
I pulled up his stats from ESPN and Pro Football Reference and started looking through his productivity throughout the years.
And one number really jumped out at me.
Maxx Crosby Stats (2022-2025)
Here’s what I found Crosby’s production has looked like over the last few seasons.
The first thing that jumps out is 2023. Crosby was an absolute problem for offenses that season.
Ninety tackles.
Twenty-three tackles for loss.
Defensive linemen don’t put up numbers like that very often, but Crosby is pretty consistent in that category.
The 2024 Season is the Outlier
When people talk about Maxx Crosby declining the season, I found that it looks like all the snaps caught up to him in 2024.
That season he finished with 7.5 sacks. At first glance, I agree, it does look like a big drop-off, but there’s a big piece of context attached to that stat not being talked about.
He only played twelve games, and we all know missing five games is going to impact totals. There is not a magic stat fairy for those missing games.
When we factor in the missing games, we can pretty well guarantee the dip was caused by the five games he was on the sideline.
The 2025 Season Was More On Par for Maxx Crosby
The 2025 season is where we were able to see the Maxx Crosby we are used to seeing.
- 10 sacks
- 73 tackles
- 28 tackles for loss
To me, that last number really stands out. Twenty-eight tackles for loss meant he spent most of the season blowing up plays in the backfield.
Maxx Crosby lives in the backfield and the offensive lines have to account for him every single snap, and unlike most defensive ends, he is in the game for the majority of the snaps.
Why Some People Think Crosby Is Declining
To be fair, I understand where the declining Crosby argument comes from.
When we are used to seeing double-digit sacks most seasons, people notice when they don’t happen, and it will get brought up.
That’s the nature of sports.
I feel like the 2023 season set the bar pretty high and anything less or equal to it will be considered a decline.
But Maxx Crosby’s numbers are still strong.
The Reality of Maxx Crosby
If a defensive end gives you 10 sacks and 28 tackles for loss, most teams aren’t going to complain if that player is on their team.
Those are the type of numbers that impact games.
If that is supposed to be a declining player, I will take him on my team all day, every day.
That is a problem worth having on defense.
What I See From the Numbers
When I look at the numbers from ESPN and Pro Football Reference, I don’t see a player falling off. I see a defensive end who had a monster year in 2023 and then followed it up with an injury-riddled season.
The injury season was not good, but from a Dallas Cowboys fan perspective, those numbers would still be near the top of the defense.
Right now, Maxx Crosby looks like one of the elite edge rushers in the NFL, and he will look even better with a star on his helmet.
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