Houston Texans cornerback Keion Crossen was traded to the New York Giants on Monday.
The Western Carolina product was traded to the New York Giants on Monday. It’s interesting that the team would trade Crossen away after trading to get him in 2019. That 2019 deal included a 6th-round pick, and that also was the compensation for this go-around as well.
During his time with the Houston Texans, Crossen had suited up four times for the team, notching 59 tackles and 6 pass breakups during those four games. As to why Crossen was traded, Head Coach David Culley had to say the following, as was Tweeted by Sports Radio 610 AM in Houston:
“Nick felt like getting some draft picks for next year and it’s a situation where we have depth there (defensive back).” - #Texans head coach David Culley on trading DB Keion Crossen
— SportsRadio 610 (@SportsRadio610) August 16, 2021
Houston Texans do the smart thing by acquiring draft capital
In trading Crossen, the Texans are playing for the long run in this move. It can be said that draft picks are like lottery tickets, and the more of them you have the better your chances are. Now waiting until 2023 is going to take a long time to pay off.
Did the interception by Tremon Smith in this past week’s game warrant this out-of-the-blue kind of trade? Or is it the apparent connection between Crossen and Giants head coach Joe Judge? It’s more likely the latter, as Crossen was a part of the Special Teams unit during his rookie season with the Patriots that won Super Bowl LI.
If Culley believes in the depth on the roster, then this trade won’t hurt the Texans at all. If Crossen can make an impact on special teams for the Giants, then it’ll be a win-win for both teams.
We’ll just have to wait until 2023 to find out if it was worth it.