Tag: Keion Crossen

Keion Crossen doesn’t believe Patriots’ travel plans will help vs. Dolphins

At this point, it’s looking like a hot, wet day on Sunday.

While the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots aren’t scheduled to go head-to-head until Sunday afternoon, Bill Belichick’s team is heading to Florida on Tuesday, so his team can get accustomed to the heat and humidity that will be a factor at Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami has been a difficult place for the Patriots to play, even during the Tom Brady years, as they are 9-13 in Miami Gardens since Belichick took over in 2000.

While the Patriots are traveling early to hopefully adjust, Dolphins cornerback Keion Crossen posted on his Instagram story that he doesn’t think that will help them when it comes down to the matchup on Sunday.

Weather is an ever-changing science, but at this point, the forecast for Sunday looks to be a hot, wet day, as it’s expected to be 90 degrees and rainy around kickoff.

This offseason, Miami’s offense has gotten immeasurably faster, and they’ve talked about wanting these games to be a track meet. They’re going to use that speed to their advantage. While it’s smart for New England to come down to Florida early, practicing down here won’t prepare them for the speed that they’ll have to keep up with in the heat and humidity.

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Mike McDaniel provides injury updates on Nik Needham, Keion Crossen

It looks like there was nothing too serious for either player.

After losing second-year cornerback Trill Williams during the first preseason game, the Miami Dolphins were down a talented player at a position that couldn’t really afford to be thin.

To address the need, they signed Mackensie Alexander to help in the slot and potentially outside as well. However, during the second preseason game Alexander, Keion Crossen and Nik Needham all went down with injuries.

While the team announced that Alexander was being placed on injured reserve on Tuesday, head coach Mike McDaniel provided updates for the other two during his media availability.

For Needham, McDaniel said that he’s “good to go,” and Crossen is “day-to-day.”

Through training camp, the Dolphins have put forth a concerted effort to be cautious with all injuries, so Crossen may be good to go if he was really needed.

It wouldn’t be too surprising to see Miami look at more veteran cornerback options.

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Keion Crossen explains why he chose to sign with the Dolphins

Crossen worked with defensive coordinator Josh Boyer in New England.

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After losing special teams ace Mack Hollins this offseason to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Miami Dolphins went out and signed Keion Crossen to a three-year deal worth $10.5 million with the expectation that he fills that same role in South Florida.

Crossen was originally a seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots back in 2018 and has spent time with the Houston Texans and New York Giants since being traded heading into his second season.

Last year with the Giants, Crossen recorded 13 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

The former Western Carolina Catamount recently spent some of his time away from the facility working at a youth football camp hosted by his former teammate, Josh Kalu, who’s currently a free agent. Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson got a chance to speak with Crossen about his new team and what drew him to Miami Gardens in the first place.

“It’s been good, man,” Crossen said. “We’re all coming together as a team. The main thing is one goal, one team. The ultimate goal is to win a super bowl, but that comes with practice and the season ahead of us. I’m just taking it day by day. (McDaniel), he’s a high-spirited guy. He’s almost like one of the guys. Obviously, we have the utmost respect for coach McDaniel. He allows us to play fast, play aggressive, and have fun.

“I started my career with Josh Boyer. I know the special teams coach. He’s treated me well. His group is coached really, really well. I’m really about family. I’m a family man. I want to be with a team that’s going to work hard and is going to win and [have] good coaching. That’s why I chose Miami. The taxes down there aren’t too bad, either.”

Between the money and the situation, it seems like everything is working out in Crossen’s favor this year. If he can do his job effectively, the Dolphins’ coverage units won’t miss a beat despite the loss of one of their special teams captains.

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Dolphins position preview: Breaking down the CBs ahead of camp

It’s a lot of the same faces.

The Miami Dolphins had an extremely busy offseason between the firings and hirings of head coaches, game-changing trades and impactful free agency signings.

This time in between minicamps/OTAs and training camp is a great opportunity to assess the state of Miami’s roster at each position before they hold true competitions at the end of this month and into August under new coach Mike McDaniel for the first time.

We’ve talked about quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, defensive linemen, linebackers and specialists but now it’s time to jump back to the defense and discuss the cornerbacks on the roster.

3 things to know about new Dolphins ST Keion Crossen

Get to know the special teams ace.

The Miami Dolphins have had an extremely busy offseason that’s involved restructures, trades, signings, re-signings and more.

With all of the moves that have gone on this offseason, there hasn’t been a ton of time to dissect some of the smaller moves and talk about those lesser-known players who will be wearing the aqua and orange for the first time.

One of those players is former New York Giants defensive back Keion Crossen, who Miami signed to a three-year deal not long after free agency opened.

These are a few things that Dolphins fans should know about their new special teams ace.

Analyzing the terms of Keion Crossen’s deal with the Dolphins

It’s a three-year deal but could end up being just one.

Before the Miami Dolphins officially lost one of their best special team contributors to the Las Vegas Raiders in Mack Hollins, they made the decision to go after former New York Giants defensive back Keion Crossen to fill the role.

While the Dolphins’ three-year deal with Crossen was agreed to prior to the start of the new league year, the deal was made official at the end of the week. According to Over the Cap, the contract will pay the 25-year-old $9.45 million over three seasons with the potential to pay an additional $1.05 million in playtime incentives.

In 2022, Crossen has a cap hit of $3.035 million, as his $1.035 million salary and $2 million roster bonus are guaranteed in the first year.

In 2023 and 2024, he has cap hits of $3.17 million ($2.865 million in salary, $255,000 in per-game roster bonuses and $50,000 in workout bonuses) and $3.245 million ($2.94 million in salary, $255,000 in per-game roster bonuses and $50,000 in workout bonuses), respectively. However, there’s no guaranteed money in either of those years.

This means that the Dolphins could move on from Crossen after the first year with no repercussions if they wanted to. Paying a special teamer over $3 million is a bit pricey, so there’s a real chance that happens, especially if he doesn’t perform.

Considering the money that Hollins received from the Raiders, the choice to sign Crossen instead of the captain is a puzzling one.

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Grading the Dolphins’ moves during the legal tampering period

The Dolphins agreed to five contracts during the window.

The 2022 league year has opened for the NFL, meaning teams are now allowed to officially sign free agents to contracts.

During the league’s legal tampering period, the Miami Dolphins agreed to terms with five players that could help them be better in 2022 and beyond, including quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, running back Chase Edmonds, wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr., guard Connor Williams and special teamer Keion Crossen. All of these deals were able to be finalized after 4 p.m. on Wednesday.

While there will surely be more contracts to come, here’s what we think about all five moves that were agreed to before free agency began.

Dolphins agree to terms with ex-Giant Keion Crossen

The Miami Dolphins and former New York Giants defensive back Keion Crossen have agreed to a three-year deal.

The New York Giants re-signed wide receiver C.J. Board on Monday and that may have come at the expense of another special teams ace — Keion Crossen.

Shortly after the Giants reupped with Board, Crossen and the Miami Dolphins agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $10.5 million.

The 25-year-old Crossen was originally a seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2018. After his rookie season as Foxborough, Crossen spent two years with the Houston Texans before being traded to the Giants in 2021.

New York acquired Crossen in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft pick.

In 59 career games (four starts), Crossen has recorded 86 tackles (65 solo, one for a loss), two QB hits, one sack and six passes defensed. He appeared in 16 games for the Giants last season but ended the year on injured reserve.

In addition to Crossen, tight end Evan Engram and defensive lineman Austin Johnson also found new homes as the NFL’s negotiation window opened.

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Dolphins to sign special teamer/defensive back Keion Crossen

The Dolphins are planning to add a core special teamer.

The Miami Dolphins have had a busy first day of the NFL’s legal tamper window.

Before the period even opened, the Dolphins retained defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah on a four-year deal. Then, when the agreements started coming in, the Dolphins were mentioned frequently, agreeing to deals with running back Chase Edmonds, wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Now, according to Pro Football Network’s Aaron Wilson, the Dolphins and special teamer Keion Crossen have agreed on a three-year deal that’s worth $10.5 million, though the deal can’t be finalized until the start of the new league year. He spent last season with the New York Giants, playing 76% of their special teams’ snaps and recording 13 total tackles.

Crossen, 25, was a New England Patriots’ seventh-round pick in 2018 out of Western Carolina and has carved out a decent career for himself. In his four years in the league, he’s spent times with three times, including the Houston Texans, and he’s played in 16 games each of the last three seasons.

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2022 free agency: Should Giants re-sign these players or let them go?

For the New York Giants, it’s time to look ahead and decisions will soon have to be made on several impending free agents.

The New York Giants and their fans want a clean slate heading into the 2022 season. That means shutting the door on some players that they once considered investing in long-term.

They don’t have many impending free agents to begin with but of the ones they do have, there’s not too many they should be in a hurry to bring back.

Here’s a quick rundown of the players in that group and what action the Giants should take with them.