# Dane Cruikshank

Dane Ashton Cruikshank (born April 27, 1995) is an American professional football safety. He played college football at Arizona. Cruikshank was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.

## College career

Cruikshank majored in general studies at Arizona after playing at Citrus College for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He was named first-team all-state.
He redshirted the 2015 season at Arizona.
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.
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.

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| 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 ||||||||||||

### Tennessee Titans (first stint)
#### 2018 season

Cruikshank was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2018 NFL draft. On May 11, 2018, he signed a four-year contract worth $2,747,892 with $287,892 in guarantees.
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.
Cruikshank finished his rookie year with 11 tackles, 39 return yards, 66 receiving yards, and a touchdown.

#### 2019 season

On 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.
“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.”

#### 2020 season

On September 6, 2020, Cruikshank was placed on injured reserve. He was activated on October 24, 2020. 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. He was placed back on injured reserve on November 11, ending his season.

#### 2021 season

Cruikshank was placed on injured reserve after missing a week of practice with a knee injury on November 13, 2021. He was activated on December 11.

### Chicago Bears

On March 31, 2022, Cruikshank signed with the Chicago Bears. He was placed on injured reserve on November 30.

### New York Jets

On July 20, 2023, Cruikshank signed with the New York Jets. He was released on August 25.

### Tennessee Titans (second stint)

On September 25, 2023, Cruikshank signed with the practice squad of the Tennessee Titans. He was released on November 7.

### Atlanta Falcons

On May 13, 2024, Cruikshank signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad. Cruikshank was released on October 1 and re-signed to the practice squad two weeks later. He was released again on December 9.