Raiders’ Maxx Crosby happy to get physical following return from COVID list

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, Aug. 17, 2020 | 11:53 a.m.

There was some understandable concern when Maxx Crosby, one of the Raiders’ best young players, was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on Aug. 6, but it turns out the team should have been more worried for the safety of the palm tree in his back yard.

Crosby returned to practice on Friday and spoke with the media for the first time on Monday, declaring himself healthy after his brief absence from the team.

“I feel fine,” Crosby said. “I’m perfectly fine. They’re working with me, I’m getting back. I would love to talk about football. I’m doing well. I’m all good.”

The same couldn’t be said for his tree, which served as a makeshift heavy bag while Crosby quarantined. He said the Raiders supplied him with weights and other training equipment but no bag, so he made the most of the situation by hand-fighting with the tree and sending videos of those workouts to his teammates.

“I had splinters in my hands,” Crosby said with a laugh. “[I was] literally doing hand work on a palm tree and I was messing my hands up. It was funny. They gave me some grief about it and made fun of me, but I was trying to get as much work in as I could because it wasn’t easy.”

Crosby’s health and general well-being is crucial for Las Vegas, as the second-year defensive end is expected to be a cornerstone of the team’s rebuilt defense.

Crosby emerged as a draft steal last year after being selected with the No. 106 overall pick. He started 10 games as a rookie and finished with 10.0 sacks and 47 tackles and also recorded 31 pressures, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com.

A player is put on the NFL’s COVID-19 reserve list following a positive test or exposure to an infected person. Crosby did not say whether he tested positive.

The Raiders have placed two other players on the COVID-19 reserve list. Running back Devontae Booker went on July 30 and was reactivated Aug. 4. Running back Rod Smith was placed on the list Aug. 6, the same day as Crosby, and is still away from the team.

Crosby was particularly happy to be back in time to take part in the first day of padded practice. Though all the collisions on Monday could be classified as friendly fire, Crosby didn’t discriminate when it came to getting physical.

“The first day was amazing,” Crosby said. “I had so much fun out there, finally getting to play real football and put the pads on and hit some people. I know it’s our own team, but I had a blast."

Physically, Crosby reported that he has added 20 pounds to his frame since last season and that he feels ready to jump into his sophomore campaign.

If all goes according to plan, Crosby will chop down opposing offensive linemen as easily as a defenseless palm tree.

“I definitely did some good things last year, but I haven’t even touched where I want to be,” Crosby said. “I feel like I can dominate every single game; that’s my goal and that’s what I plan on doing. This offseason I put on some good weight, I’m running 275 right now and I feel great. My conditioning is getting to where I need to get. I’m super excited to be here and show everybody that it wasn’t just a fluke rookie year. I want to prove to everybody that I’m going to be here for a long time.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.