After a double-digit sack season as a rookie, Maxx Crosby fell back to earth some in 2020. He wasn’t the same pass rusher we saw in 2019 and in turn, the Raiders’ defense struggled.
However, Crosby is still one of the team’s brightest stars on defense and the organization couldn’t be higher on the former Eastern Michigan edge rusher. He is still expected to play a ton of snaps and they need him to perform well if the defense wants to get back to a respectable level.
In a recent article by Chris Roling of Bleacher Report, he named Crosby as a potential breakout candidate for the 2021 season. Here is a snippet of what he had to say about the third-year defensive end:
“Crosby played 72 and 83 percent of snaps over his first two seasons, generating 63 pressures. In 2020, he had issues—such as missing 15.2 percent of his tackles—that resulted in a 57.8 PFF grade.
Not only is Crosby hitting that critical third year of development, but also additions around him such as Yannick Ngakoue and Solomon Thomas will mean less attention from offenses, likely leading to greater heights.”
The Raiders are hoping with the addition of Ngakoue, Crosby can see fewer double teams and won’t have to play as many snaps. Both he and Clelin Ferrell could be in for bigger seasons after the addition of Ngakoue.
Crosby has already been a productive player in the NFL, totaling 17 sacks and 27 quarterback hits. But the ceiling is much, much higher. Don’t be surprised if Crosby, who is finally healthy, plays the best football of his career in 2021.
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