Patriots Trade CB to Texans as Gunner Olszewski Stunningly Survives Roster Crunch
By Ryan Giglio
With Saturday's deadline for all NFL teams to finalize their 53-man rosters, front offices are feverishly acting to improve their opening day squad.
Among the plethora of transactions include the New England Patriots reportedly trading cornerback Keion Crossen to the Houston Texans. Bill Belichick and the Patriots will get a sixth-round pick in return.
Source: The #Patriots are trading CB Keion Crossen to the #Texans.. So, Gunner Olszewski sticks on the roster after all.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 31, 2019
The trade opens up a roster spot for rookie wideout Gunner Olszewski. It was reported earlier on Saturday that Olszewski would be waived, but the late trade allowed the Patriots to keep him.
Olszewski was a cornerback at Bemidji State University and even won Defensive Player of the Year in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in 2018.
This is the most Belichick-y roster guy in a long time. I fully expect him to become a cross between Matthew Slater, Troy Brown and Charlie Tweeder. (Also i had to delete the previous tweet that said “Reggie Slater” - I’m turning into @drbill1947.) https://t.co/jm0c2xNnNO
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) August 31, 2019
After going undrafted, Olszewski signed with the Patriots in late May and converted to a wide receiver. The Patriots are weak at the receiver position, so the 22-year-old will act as a depth piece and punt returner. In the preseason, Olszewski averaged 13.1 yards per runback.
Motor. Effort. Balls. Grit. Gunner Olszewski. I want him on my team. pic.twitter.com/6e2OIrAoRn
— Alonso (@alonsocervp) August 30, 2019
The speedy receiver has become a favorite among fans and coaches for his competitiveness and grit.
Crossen was a seventh-round pick by New England in the 2018 draft out of Western Carolina. The 23-year-old was mostly a special teams player for the Patriots, appearing in 14 games.
In New England's final preseason game against the Giants on Thursday, Crossen made 11 tackles, five pass breakups, and even intercepted an Alex Tanney pass.
The trade was one of several made by the Texans on Saturday. Crossen will add depth to Houston's defense after the team dealt Jadeveon Clowney to Seattle.