Crawford was selected by the
Dallas Cowboys in the third round (81st overall) of the
2012 NFL draft. On June 13, he signed a four-year deal receiving a $575,252 signing bonus. At the 2012
NFL Scouting Combine in February, he was diagnosed with a
heart murmur. As a rookie, he played the
left defensive end position in
defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's
3–4 defense. He was a reserve player and finished with 33 tackles (18 solo) and 5 quarterback pressures. In
2013,
defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was hired to change the defense to a
4-3 alignment and Crawford was expected to backup the
strongside defensive end position and play both
defensive tackle spots in passing situations. On July 21,
2013, he suffered a torn Achilles on the first full day of training camp and was placed on the
injured reserve list. Entering
2014, there were initial plans to evaluate Crawford in the 3-technique
defensive tackle spot vacated by
free agent Jason Hatcher, but after the signing of
Henry Melton he was kept at
defensive end. During the regular season Melton struggled as he recovered from offseason surgery and worked through a groin strain, so Crawford was forced to play
defensive tackle in week 3 against the
New Orleans Saints and would earn the starter job. He finished with three sacks and 29 quarterback pressures. In
2015, Crawford was signed to a five-year, $45 million contract ($25.7 million guaranteed). He was limited with a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder that required offseason surgery, suffered in the second game of the season against the
Philadelphia Eagles. He still managed 44 tackles, 5 sacks (third on the team), and 27 quarterback pressures (third on the team). In
2016, Crawford struggled at the beginning of the season playing
defensive tackle. The production of
Terrell McClain and rookie
Maliek Collins, combined with the need the team had at
defensive end, made the Cowboys decide to move him to left defensive end in the fourth quarter of the second game of the season against the
Washington Redskins. He would remain the starter at left defensive end for the rest of the season. His best game came in week 8 against the
Philadelphia Eagles, registering 5 quarterback hurries, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. He posted 2 sacks against the
Cleveland Browns. He had to be replaced against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers with
David Irving, because he was playing through shoulder and hamstring injuries. He started 14 games did not play in the last 2 contests of the season, because he was being saved for the playoffs. He finished with 21 tackles (6 tackles for loss), 4.5 sacks (third on the team) and 17 quarterback pressures (second on the team). In
2017, he suffered an ankle injury in training camp on August 8, that looked at the time to be a season ending injury. He missed most of the preseason. He was a backup during the first 2 games of the season, until being moved to right defensive end to help improve the rushing defense. In Week 8 against the
Washington Redskins, he had 3 tackles, one quarterback pressure, one forced fumble and blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt, in which teammate
Orlando Scandrick returned 90 yards in the 33–19, earning him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He started 14 out of 16 games, collecting 38 tackles (2 for loss), 4 sacks (third on the team), 26 quarterback hurries (second on the team), 2 pass breakups, one forced fumble, one recovery and one blocked field goal attempt. In
2018, Crawford was switched back to defensive tackle after
Maliek Collins and
David Irving both started the league season with injuries or suspensions. He also started games at right defensive end and made his 200th career tackle in the eleventh game against the
Washington Redskins. He was bothered by bursitis in his hips late in the season. He was declared inactive in the season finale with a neck injury. He started 15 games, posting 33 tackles, 5.5 sacks (third on the team) and 25 quarterback hurries. In
2019, he missed the entire offseason conditioning program and training camp while recovering from his hip injury. He started the first 2 games of the season, before being held out in the next 2 outings. He returned to play as a backup in Week 5 and Week 6. On October 15, he was placed on injured reserve after undergoing season-ending hip surgery. He finished with 2 tackles (one for loss), one sack and one quarterback pressure. On July 28,
2020, he was placed on the active/
physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp, still recovering from his double hip surgery. He was activated on August 14. He was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19 list by the team on November 11, and activated on November 18. He struggled with his physical health during the season, appearing in 16 games with 3 starts. He had 17 tackles (2 for loss), 2 sacks and 14 quarterback hurries. Cowboys head coach
Mike McCarthy announced Crawford's intention to retire from professional football on March 25, 2021. ==Career statistics==