Dane Ashton Cruikshank (born April 27, 1995) is an American professional football safety for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona.[1] Cruikshank was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.
 Cruikshank with the Tennessee Titans in 2021 | |||||||||||||
| No. 37 – Atlanta Falcons | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | April 27, 1995 Chino Hills, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Ayala (Chino Hills, California) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Citrus (2013–2014) Arizona (2015–2017) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018 / round: 5 / pick: 152 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Practice squad | ||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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College career
editCruikshank majored in general studies at Arizona after playing at Citrus College for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.[2] He was named first-team all-state.[3]
He redshirted the 2015 season at Arizona.[2]
As a redshirt junior in 2016, he played cornerback, tying the team lead in interceptions with two, finishing fourth in total tackles with 60 and second in pass breakups with seven.[2]
As a redshirt senior in 2017, he switched to safety, ranking fifth on the team with 75 total tackles, tying for second in interceptions with three and ranking third in pass breakups with five.[2]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) |
209 lb (95 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) |
4.41 s | 1.50 s | 2.59 s | 4.24 s | 6.89 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
25 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[4][5] | ||||||||||||
Tennessee Titans (first stint)
edit2018 season
editCruikshank was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[6] On May 11, 2018, he signed a four-year contract worth $2,747,892 with $287,892 in guarantees.[7]
On September 16, 2018, he scored his first NFL touchdown on a fake punt against the Houston Texans by hauling in a 66-yard reception from Kevin Byard. Cruikshank was named American Football Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in the 20–17 victory.[8]
Cruikshank finished his rookie year with 11 tackles, 39 return yards, 66 receiving yards, and a touchdown.
2019 season
editOn December 1, 2019, vs the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium, Cruikshank blocked a fourth-quarter field goal attempt by Adam Vinatieri, which backup cornerback Tye Smith scooped up and took 63 yards for a go-ahead touchdown that sent Tennessee on its way to a 31–17 victory.[9]
“We take special teams very seriously over here,” Cruikshank said following the game. “Everybody takes advantage of their opportunities and I rose to the occasion (Sunday) and made the best of it.”[10]
2020 season
editOn September 6, 2020, Cruikshank was placed on injured reserve.[11] He was activated on October 24, 2020.[12] In week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cruikshank recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Ben Roethlisberger during the 27–24 loss.[13] He was placed back on injured reserve on November 11, ending his season.[14]
2021 season
editCruikshank was placed on injured reserve after missing a week of practice with a knee injury on November 13, 2021.[15] He was activated on December 11.[16]
Chicago Bears
editOn March 31, 2022, Cruikshank signed with the Chicago Bears.[17] He was placed on injured reserve on November 30.[18]
New York Jets
editOn July 20, 2023, Cruikshank signed with the New York Jets.[19] He was released on August 25.[20]
Tennessee Titans (second stint)
editOn September 25, 2023, Cruikshank signed with the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans.[21] He was released on November 7.[22]
Atlanta Falcons
editOn May 13, 2024, Cruikshank signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[23] He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[24][25] Cruikshank was released on October 1 and re-signed to the practice squad two weeks later.[26][27]
References
edit- ^ "Titans trade up again, draft DB Dane Cruikshank; QB Luke Falk with 'Tom Brady' pick". Tennessean.com. April 28, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Dane Cruikshank profile". arizonawildcats.com. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
- ^ "Dane Cruikshank". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ "Dane Cruikshank Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "Dane Cruikshank College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
- ^ TitansOnline.com (April 28, 2018). "Titans Pick Arizona Safety Dane Cruikshank in NFL Draft". Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
- ^ OverTheCap.com. "Dane Cruikshank". Retrieved July 27, 2018.
- ^ Knoblauch, Austin (September 19, 2018). "Mahomes, Fitzpatrick among NFL Players of Week". NFL.com.
- ^ "Blocked field goal helps Titans turn table with win at Indy". ESPN. December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Cruikshank Personifies Titans' Persistence on Special Teams". Sports Illustrated Tennessee Titans News, Analysis and More.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Agree to Terms with RB Senorise Perry, CB Chris Milton". tennesseetitans.com. Tennessee Titans. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
- ^ Williams, Charean (October 24, 2020). "Titans activate Dane Cruikshank from injured reserve". NBCSports.com. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Tennessee Titans – October 25th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 11, 2020). "Titans Activate CB Adoree' Jackson from Injured Reserve, But He Won't Play vs. Colts". TennesseeTitans.com.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 13, 2021). "Titans Activate CB Kristian Fulton From Injured Reserve, Place WR Julio Jones on IR in a Flurry of Roster Moves". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (December 11, 2021). "Titans Activate WR Julio Jones, WR Racey McMath and S Dane Cruikshank from Injured Reserve". TennesseeTitans.com.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (March 31, 2022). "Roster Move: Bears sign safety Dane Cruikshank". ChicagoBears.com.
- ^ Hajduk, Gabby (November 30, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears sign QB Tim Boyle, DL Andrew Brown". ChicagoBears.com.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (July 20, 2023). "Jets Sign WR Alex Erickson and S Dane Cruikshank". NewYorkJets.com.
- ^ "Jets Release S Dane Cruikshank". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ "Titans sign Dane Cruikshank to the practice squad". USAToday.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (November 7, 2023). "Titans Waive DL Naquan Jones While Also Doing Some Practice Squad Shuffling". TennesseeTitans.com.
- ^ "Falcons sign TE Ross Dwelley plus 3 rookie minicamp tryout players". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ Waack, Terrin (August 27, 2024). "Falcons announce initial 53-man roster for 2024". AtlantaFalcons.com.
- ^ Waack, Terrin (August 28, 2024). "Falcons sign 13 to practice squad, plus an international player". AtlantaFalcons.com.
- ^ Urben, Matt. "Falcons sign linebacker to practice squad, release safety". Falcons Wire. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Urben, Matt. "Falcons place safety on IR, announce multiple roster transactions". Falcons Wire. Retrieved October 16, 2024.