The New England Patriots made some serious investments in their cornerback group in 2025. But while the contracts given to starters Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones are the most noteworthy, the team also attempted to build the depth behind them.
One piece added to accomplish that goal was Brandon Crossley, who was signed as an undrafted free agent following last year’s draft. Now entering his second season in the league, however, he appears to be in a tough spot.
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Hard facts
Name: Brandon Crossley
Position: Cornerback
Jersey number: 39 (b)
Opening day age: 25 (1/17/2001)
Measurements: 5’10 3/8”, 186 lbs, 8 1/2” hand size, 29 1/2” arm length, 71 3/8” wingspan, 4.44s 40-yard dash, 7.08s 3-cone drill, 4.35s short shuttle, 30 1/2” vertical jump, 9’10” broad jump, 11 bench press reps, 3.82 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Colorado State (2019), SMU (2020-24)
A four-star prospect coming out of Little Elm, TX, High School, Crossley received quite a bit of interest as a college recruit. Schools like TCU, Texas Tech and SMU all courted him, but he eventually chose Colorado State out of almost a dozen scholarship offers. However, he ended up spending only one season in Fort Collins, playing 12 games with one start.
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After his 2019 season as a Ram, he decided to enter the transfer portal and this time chose SMU as his destination. Over the next five years, Crossley appeared in 54 games for the Mustangs with 30 starts. Along the way, he was a regular around the football and finished with seven turnovers, 11.5 tackles for loss and 26 pass breakups. He also scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery in 2024.
An All-ACC honorable mention in his final season, Crossley did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. He signed with the Patriots as a free agent shortly thereafter and spent his rookie campaign on and off their practice squad without seeing any game action.
Scouting report
Strengths: Crossley is a good linear athlete, who covers plenty of ground and can stick to receivers’ hips on vertical routes. He combines his speed with some good ball skills; he has disruptive hands at the catch point and locates the ball well in the air. In general, he is a competitive defensive back who repeatedly punches above his weight and has made plenty of impact plays throughout his career. He also is a willing run defender and generally versatile player, capable of moving all over the secondary or kicking game.
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Weaknesses: Straight-line speed aside, Crossley’s overall athleticism is nothing to write home about. He lacks lower-body flexibility to stay with his players through more complicated patterns in man coverage and to react quickly in zone. He also is on the smaller side from a height, length and weight perspective, leading to some issues against bigger receivers or in the tackling department.
2025 review
Stats: N/A
Season recap: Crossley did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft, but joined the Patriots as one of their first reported free agency signings. While this gave him an opportunity to compete for an NFL roster spot, the reality of his situation was always complicated: despite only three locks among New England’s cornerbacks at the time — Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, Marcus Jones — he was entering a room that featured some experienced talent and higher-profile players.
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He nonetheless saw his fair share of reps in training camp and preseason. Appearing in all three exhibition games, Crossley played 78 defensive snaps and 19 more on special teams. He finished with eight tackles, allowed opposing quarterbacks to go 4-of-7 for 29 yards when targeting him, and broke up one pass. He also forced a fumble in the second preseason game against the Vikings.
Even though his performance was not necessarily bad, it also was not enough to make a serious push for a spot on the roster. And so, Crossley was released ahead of the NFL’s 53-man cutdown deadline.
He returned via the practice squad after going through the waiver wire unclaimed, but was let go again just one day later. He subsequently remained unsigned until November, when he made his way back onto New England’s developmental roster. That stint lasted a little over a month before he was again cut. After the Super Bowl, the Patriots re-signed him via a one-year futures deal.
All in all, Crossley’s first NFL campaign ended with zero in-game appearances outside of preseason.
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2026 preview
Position: Perimeter cornerback | Ability: Camp body/Practice squad candidate | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 ERFA)
What will be his role? Crossley primarily played as an outside cornerback during his first summer in Foxborough, and little is expected to change in his second. While he might expand his repertoire a bit, he will remain a depth option at the position.
What is his growth potential? Despite only entering his second season in the league, Crossley is already 25 and might therefore be closer to his ceiling than other sophomores on New England’s roster. That does not mean he is a finished product or has no future in the NFL ahead of him, though. If put in favorable situations as a matchup option, he could very well become a valuable rotational cornerback and possible multi-phase special teamer. So far, however, he has not managed to show that consistently raising questions about his eventual outlook.
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Does he have positional versatility? Crossley played several positions during his college career at Colorado State and SMU, and theoretically could be used all over the defensive backfield in the NFL as well. However, since joining the Patriots, he has mostly lined up outside. A second year in the system might help him grow from a versatility perspective, but so far his only proven positional flexibility at the pro level has come in the kicking game: he saw snaps on five kicking game units during his rookie preseason.
What is his salary cap situation? The Patriots retained Crossley on a one-year futures pact that consists entirely of a non-guaranteed $885,000 base salary that simultaneously functions as his cap number. That number not being high enough to qualify for Top 51 status means that he currently takes up no portion of New England’s available cap space.
How safe is his roster spot? Crossley struggled to earn a consistent spot on the practice squad last year, and unless he makes a major jump this summer can be considered a long-shot to make the team. In fact, even the developmental roster could be a challenge given how 2025 went.
Summary: Crossley does have some tools to work with, but so far has not shown enough to be considered a roster-worthy player. The realistic best case for him would be to show his special teams value and make it to the practice squad that way. However, with younger options on the team who seemingly bring a higher upside to the competition even that is far from a given.
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What do you think about Brandon Crossley heading into the 2026 season? Will he show some strides in his second season? Or will the journey come to an end this year? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
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