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The New Orleans Saints will play the Detroit Lions without either of their starting cornerbacks, prompting them to promote Ken Crawley from the practice squad for Week 4. Both Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins were ruled out on the final injury report. Crawley’s call-up was first reported by SI.com’s John Hendrix and confirmed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.
Crawley was signed just days ago but does know the system, having started 20-plus games from 2016 to 2019. That could make him a more appealing option to the Saints coaching staff than other members of the practice squad like Keith Washington (a rookie) or Grant Haley (a second-year pro picked up in free agency). But teams are allowed to dress up to two practice squad players each week, so either Washington or Haley could also get into the mix.
Still, Saints fans have seen Crawley give up enough big plays and commit enough penalties that it’s understandable if he doesn’t inspire confidence. The good news is that the Saints shouldn’t have to ask him to play at all if veteran backups P.J. Williams and Patrick Robinson can do their jobs. Special teams ace Justin Hardee could also serve as a buffer between Crawley and the field, but we’ll see if the Saints trust the converted wide receiver to take snaps on defense.
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