In desperate need of depth along the offensive line, the New York Giants made a trade on Monday. But it had nothing to do with the offensive line.
The Giants have sent a 2023 sixth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for cornerback Keion Crossen.
Despite their impressive depth in the secondary, Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, nicknamed “Trader Dave” after his multiple draft-day moves in April, made the trade for Crossen — likely because of his special teams prowess rather than his defensive ability.
Crossen, 25, was a seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL draft. After one season in Foxborough, where he was a special team standout under Joe Judge, Crossen was traded to the Texans for a conditional draft pick.
Crossen had spent the previous two seasons in Houston.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Crossen has appeared in 43 career games (four starts), recording 73 tackles (57 solo), one QB hit and six passes defensed.
In 2020, Crossen earned an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 58.6, which represented a career-high. His special teams grade of 58.7 was a career-low.
