Giants 2022 UFA Primer: DB Keion Crossen
Keion Crossen, Cornerback
Height: 5’10"
Weight: 185 lbs.
Age: 25
NFL Exp.: 4 years
College: W Carolina
Keion Crossen became a member of the Giants secondary this past summer after coming over in a trade with the Houston Texans. The Giants acquired the former 2018 seventh-round pick for a 2023 sixth-round pick.
Before coming to New York, Crossen spent a combined three years in New England and Houston, the former team drafting him with the 243rd pick in 2018. Crossen was a member of the Patriots team that went 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl, where they left victorious over the Los Angeles Rams.
Crossen has been relatively healthy throughout his career, and that trend continued with the Giants this season. The corner played in 16 of the team’s 17 games, the third consecutive season he’s reached that number. Crossen was not a bona fide starter for the Giants, but he did earn some reps throughout the year due to repetitive injuries and COVID-19 cases within the secondary.
Crossen wasn't much of a factor in the Giants ' defensive performances despite these things impacting the depth charts during his first go-around with the team. He finished the 2021 season with 13 total tackles (eight solos)--tied for ninth-lowest among Giants defensive players for that category–one sack, one forced one fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Where his defensive numbers lacked, Crossen made up for it with his special teams contributions, tallying most of his stats in that unit.
2021 Recap
When Crossen was acquired on August 16, he was listed as the third left cornerback on the Giants depth chart, behind veteran James Bradberry and rookie Rodarius Williams.
In late September, Williams suffered a knee injury that placed the sixth-round pick on injured reserve and ended his first NFL season. As the season progressed, several other members of the Giants secondary succumbed to injuries–Jabrill Peppers, Nate Ebner, and Darnay Holmes–or landed on the team’s COVID reserve list due to rampant positive cases spreading throughout the league.
Suddenly, the door swung wide open for Crossen to contribute as the Giants searched for answers amid a tumultuous season, and the corner found a few ways to contribute during the team’s more competitive games.
Crossen’s name was announced just once per contest through the first seven weeks of the season as he made a solo tackle on the special teams unit. Yet, the following Sunday in Week 8, Crossen entered the spotlight on more than one occasion.
In the Giants’ 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in early November, Crossen earned a sack on quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the fourth quarter for a loss of eight yards. He also recovered a loose ball to help the Giants remain heartbreakingly in a game they lost.
Returning home in Week 9, Crossen’s luck continued, and this time the script was flipped for the Giants against the Las Vegas Raiders. Along with his two tackles in the game, Crossen forced a fumble on special teams as the Giants overwhelmed the Raiders offense and shocked Las Vegas 23-16.
Then in a 37-21 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Crossen contributed to a Giants’ offensive run by recovering an onside kick attempt that was muffed along the Giants sideline. It was a play made in vain, but it certainly helped Crossen earn some brownie points in future special teams’ scheming.
Why the Giants Should Keep Him
Crossen has shown he can offer the team a consistently healthy, playmaking asset on special teams. His select clutch plays in games against the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers helped the Giants remain competitive in two of those games and added to the team’s stretch of eight straight contests with at least one turnover that came to an end in Week 13.
At the very least, if he doesn’t see that many reps in 2022, he can offer the Giants some depth in the secondary and serve as a mentor for younger players looking for their chance to earn live game snaps.
Why the Giants Shouldn’t Keep Him
Of course, Crossen’s measly numbers are a concern for his eligibility for a new contract in 2022.
However, a more significant reason for letting the Western Carolina product venture off in free agency is that the Giants will have back many of their secondary pieces from injuries.
The team expects to have Williams back for camp, if not for OTA’s coming up, and the other side of the secondary is locked in by Adoree' Jackson and Darnay Holmes. Crossen would likely get bumped into the third-string spot and be even less involved in the defensive game plan.
The Giants front office may attack the secondary as one of their improvement points this offseason. While the defense wasn’t totally abysmal under defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, they did finish the season ranked 25th in passing first downs, 24th in passing attempts, and 16th in passing touchdowns, a product of the Giants' porous secondary throughout the year.
Schoen and company may look to upend or revitalize the secondary through the draft and free agency, pending they fix the salary cap first. They like some of the veteran pieces they already have, so the reserve ranks may get the boot, which means Crossen could be removed from plans for the future.
Keep or Dump?
There are certainly arguments on both sides for Crossen. Yet, the case for the corner seems to point towards letting him enter the free-agent market once it opens up this spring.
It’s hard to picture his numbers taking off amid a veteran-led secondary that’s going to be healthy, and the Giants could use the space from his previous contrast as capital for impending rookie contracts.
In addition, there’s just so much uncertainty as the Giants defense expects change at the helm with Patrick Graham moving to Las Vegas as their new defensive coordinator. Thus, Crossen may find himself not within the entire system next season anyway, which is why it's unlikely the Giants make a hard push to retain Crossen.
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