Tag: Ken Crawley

Saints call up two practice squad receivers as COVID-19 replacements

The New Orleans Saints promoted 3 players from their practice squad for Week 7 against the Panthers, including Juwan Johnson and Will Clapp.

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Both wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and cornerback Ken Crawley were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list this week, prompting the New Orleans Saints to promote a pair of wide receivers from the practice squad: veteran Austin Carr and rookie Juwan Johnson. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill first reported the roster moves.

Per an NFL rules tweak, these will not count against each other player for future promotions (the new CBA allows for two practice squad call-ups per player each season). Because they are filling in for teammates on COVID-19 reserve, both players are granted a temporary exemption. Carr has already had one game-week promotion so he is still allowed one more, while Johnson retains both of his future opportunities.

Johnson was signed by the Saints as an undrafted rookie out of Oregon, where the 6-foot-4, 231 pounder struggled to stay healthy after transferring from Penn State. He impressed with his blocking in training camp and was quickly signed to the practice squad after roster cuts.

Additionally, the Saints signed backup guard Will Clapp to the 53-man roster after losing wide receiver Bennie Fowler to injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Clapp has been signed, released, and re-signed six times this year as he bounces between the practice squad and active roster.

And the Saints may not be finished yet. They can call up two more practice squad players as typical game-day roster additions, but they could wait until pregame warmups on Sunday to decide whether more help is needed. So stay tuned for updates.

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Saints report no new positive COVID-19 results after Friday tests

The New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders reported no COVID-19 results after Friday’s round of coronavirus testing, clearing them to play

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Friday’s round of COVID-19 testing returned no new positive results for the New Orleans Saints following the loss of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who must spend 10 days on the NFL’s reserve list after expressing symptoms of the coronavirus and testing positive on Thursday.

Multiple local and national NFL reporters added that both the Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders, managing their own series of reserve list additions, are moving towards playing football on Sunday.

Sanders will be joined by cornerback Ken Crawley as an inactive this week due to prolonged exposure marking the backup corner as a high-risk candidate. Crawley has tested negative, but NFL rules require he be sidelined out of an abundance of caution.

Saints coach Sean Payton earlier said that “about 20” people who were around Sanders recently all retested negative, so the team is hopeful to avoid an outbreak of infections. All players are tested daily, including game days, so while they are in the clear for now that situation could change. That’s just part of playing a team sport during a pandemic.

Final Saints vs. Panthers injury report: Michael Thomas ruled out

The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers announced who participated in Friday’s practice session on the final injury report of Week 7.

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The New Orleans Saints will hold wide receiver Michael Thomas out of Sunday’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers as he continues to recover from a midweek hamstring injury, in addition to backup guard Nick Easton (who is still dealing with a concussion suffered nearly two weeks ago). The Saints are also without starting wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who entered the NFL COVID-19 protocol after recording a positive test result.

It’s less than ideal. Reserve cornerback Ken Crawley is ruled out after being in close contact with Sanders during practice on Thursday, and backup receiver Bennie Fowler is landing on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

The full, final injury report for Week 7:

From the Saints

Player, injury Wed Thurs Fri Game status
CB Janoris Jenkins, shoulder Full Full Full
WR Deonte Harris, hamstring Full Full Full
CB Justin Hardee, hamstring Limited Limited Limited
WR Michael Thomas, ankle/hamstring Limited DNP DNP Out
T Terron Armstead, hand DNP Limited Limited
G Nick Easton, concussion DNP DNP DNP Out
WR Bennie Fowler, shoulder DNP DNP DNP Injured reserve
S J.T. Gray, hamstring DNP Limited Limited Questionable
WR Emmanuel Sanders, not injury related DNP COVID-19 reserve
CB Ken Crawley, not injury related DNP COVID-19 reserve

From the Panthers

Player, injury Wed Thu Fri Game status
WR Curtis Samuel, knee Limited Limited Limited Questionable
DT Zach Kerr, toe Limited Limited Full
CB Donte Jackson, toe Limited Limited Limited Questionable
G John Miller, ankle Limited DNP DNP Questionable
CB Eli Apple, hamstring Full Full Full Questionable
RB Mike Davis, ankle Full Full Full
RB Trendon Cannon, neck Full Full Full
CB Rasul Douglas, not injury related DNP DNP COVID-19 reserve
K Joey Slye, not injury related Full
T Trent Scott, not injury related Full

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Sean Payton: About 20 team members near Emmanuel Sanders tested negative

The New Orleans Saints appear lucky to have avoided an outbreak of COVID-19 after wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders tested positive.

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The New Orleans Saints placed starting wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on the COVID-19 reserve list Friday after he recorded a positive test result, which Saints coach Sean Payton confirmed was a true positive after retesting.

At this point only one of Sanders’ teammates will be joining him on the reserve list: cornerback Ken Crawley, who was within close proximity to Sanders during Thursday’s practice. Payton clarified that Crawley has tested negative, but he has a health condition putting him within a high-risk category. So he’ll be away from the team out of an abundance of caution, in compliance with NFL protocols.

Additionally, the Saints used contact tracing to identify about 20 other players, coaches, and staff members who near Sanders over the last day, and Payton said that all of their test results were negative. So for now, there aren’t any concerns about an outbreak. This was something Sanders picked up at home.

It’s a big challenge to overcome. The Saints were already shorthanded at receiver — starter Michael Thomas and backup Bennie Fowler each missed practice time with injuries, and could also be unavailable against the Carolina Panthers this week — but this is going to happen with playing a high-contact, team sport like football during a public health crisis.

“It’s just 2020,” Payton finished at his Friday media conference call before taking the next question.

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Saints add cornerback Ken Crawley to Week 5 roster vs. Chargers

With starting corner Janoris Jenkins ruled out and Marshon Lattimore questionable to play, the Saints called up Ken Crawley vs. the Chargers

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Short-handed again at cornerback with one starter (Janoris Jenkins) ruled out on the injury report and another (Marshon Lattimore) questionable to play, the New Orleans Saints have again promoted veteran reserve Ken Crawley to the active roster. They also ruled out reserve corner and special teams ace Justin Hardee.

He’ll have an opportunity to get on the field in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Chargers, especially if Lattimore isn’t cleared to participate after practicing on a limited basis all week. But that doesn’t mean he’ll play much, or even at all. Crawley’s activation was first reported by John Hendrix for SI.com.

With Lattimore and Jenkins out of action in Week 4, the Saints turned to backups P.J. Williams and Patrick Robinson, who both played well. Robinson in particular flashed against a solid Lions receiving crops and came away with an end zone interception to help the Saints comeback effort.

Crawley only logged 6 snaps on defense (plus 4 on special teams) here and there when Robinson had to step out to have his hand re-taped, and for a longer stretch when Williams knocked the wind out of himself after a tackle. The Lions did not take advantage of the mismatch, opting to call run plays on the downs when Crawley was lined up in coverage.

His one-week call-up is a new tweak to NFL rules added in the CBA negotiated earlier this summer with the players’ union. Teams may activate practice squad players for a game twice each season, but they must be signed to the 53-man roster if called up again after that. Teams are allowed to promote two players each week to the game-day roster, so stay tuned to see if someone joins Crawley from the practice squad.

This is the final time Crawley can be brought up before the Saints have to make a longer commitment to him (which is also the case for tight end Garrett Griffin, who played last week); they previously did just that with defensive end Margus Hunt and wide receiver Bennie Fowler Jr.

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Short-handed Saints to call up Ken Crawley from the practice squad vs. Lions

The injured New Orleans Saints are expected to promote practice squad cornerback Ken Crawley for their Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions

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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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Both starting Saints cornerbacks among absentees at Friday practice session

The New Orleans Saints may play the Detroit Lions without starting cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins, or DE Marcus Davenport

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Well, this is sub-optimal: the New Orleans Saints practice session on Friday, Oct. 2 went on without multiple starters present for the period open to the media. That includes starting cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins, who were both listed on the Thursday injury report with hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively.

That’s a problem. As inconsistently as they’ve each played to start the season, you want to be starting Lattimore and Jenkins against the Detroit Lions rather than some combination of P.J. Williams, Patrick Robinson, and Justin Hardee. Practice squad call-ups like rookie Keith Washington Jr., free agent pickup Grant Haley, or burned-out former starter Ken Crawley could also be on the table.

It’s a situation even lame-duck Lions coach Matt Patricia can’t mess up. If the Saints have to dip into that well of talent, Lions receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. are going to have a field day, to say nothing of tight end T.J. Hockenson (who averages 15 snaps per game lined up in the slot or out wide). The chances of the Saints defense getting Darren Waller’d again are rising by the second.

Hopefully it doesn’t come to that. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported earlier this week that Lattimore’s injury is more of a tweak, and he may not be ruled out of action on Sunday. But it’s tough to see the Saints thrusting him into action off of so little practice time.

In other news: starters like tight end Jared Cook, defensive end Marcus Davenport, and guard Andrus Peat also were not spotted at practice while managing various injuries.

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Report: Saints host former starting CB Ken Crawley on free agent visit

The New Orleans Saints visited with free agent cornerback Ken Crawley, who started 27 games in 42 appearances with them from 2016 to 2019.

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This is something: the New Orleans Saints are hosting free agent cornerback Ken Crawley on a visit at the team facility, per ESPN’s Field Yates. Crawley spent the summer with the Arizona Cardinals after the Saints released him last year, with a four-game stint on the Miami Dolphins sandwiched in-between.

Now, it doesn’t mean the Saints are going to sign Crawley, or that he’ll be on the field any time soon. But he wouldn’t be in New Orleans if there wasn’t some level of interest.

The Saints have been churning the bottom of their depth chart at cornerback in recent weeks, waiving rookie reserve Tino Ellis and swapping out Kemon Hall for Grant Haley on the practice squad. Because of rules changes in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, someone with Crawley’s experience would be practice squad-eligible.

Crawley appeared in 42 games for the Saints from 2016 to 2019 (including the playoffs), logging 27 starts. While he initially played well in his breakout 2017 season while recording 17 passes defensed and his only career interception, his level of play was too high-variance and forced the Saints to trade for Eli Apple back in 2018.

When pressed into two games in 2019, Crawley was immediately picked on by opposing quarterbacks, and the Saints released him after failing to find a partner at the NFL trade deadline.

Still, maybe it’s worth bringing him in as the 16th member of the practice squad. There’s something to be said for stocking the team with players who have real NFL experience behind them, even if they’re unlikely to touch the field. Here’s how the depth chart shakes out:

  1. Marshon Lattimore (starter)
  2. Janoris Jenkins (starter)
  3. P.J. Williams (dime)
  4. Patrick Robinson (special teams, backup)
  5. Justin Hardee (special teams)
  6. Keith Washington Jr. (practice squad rookie)
  7. Grant Haley (practice squad)

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Cardinals reunite ex-Saints cornerbacks Ken Crawley, B.W. Webb

The Arizona Cardinals signed free agents Ken Crawley and B.W. Webb, who started much of the 2016 season for the New Orleans Saints.

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Two former members of the New Orleans Saints ended up together again, when the Arizona Cardinals announced the signings of cornerbacks Ken Crawley and B.W. Webb. The moves followed a season-ending injury to starting cornerback Robert Alford, and preceded another veteran pickup in Dre Kirkpatrick. For their part, the Saints recently worked out two undrafted free agent cornerbacks, though neither has been signed just yet.

Webb appeared in 14 games for the Saints back in 2016, logging 8 starts and 587 combined defensive snaps. He’s continued to make a journey around the NFL since then, spending the 2018 season with the New York Giants and playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 (where he and Kirkpatrick were teammates).

As for Crawley: 2016 was his rookie season, and he initially played well in 15 games (starting 5 of them, totaling 502 snaps on defense). But his play trailed off with more exposure to NFL offenses, and he was released in 2019 after appearing in just one game. He played four games with the Miami Dolphins but wasn’t kept around over the summer, and now he has a chance to catch on with Arizona.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Webb and Crawley can carve out a role with the Cardinals. It also says a lot that players who once started frequently for the Saints have been pushed off the depth chart as the team upgraded over the years. It’s just another reminder that the Saints invested a lot of resources into overhauling their roster, and now they’re reaping the benefits.

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Cardinals place Robert Alford, announce signing of CBs B.W. Webb, Ken Crawley

As expected, Ken Crawley and B.W. Webb were added to the roster.

After Arizona Cardinals cornerback Robert Alford tore a pectoral muscle in practice last Sunday, effectively ending his 2020 season before it even starts. His season now is officially over as the team announced he was placed on injured reserve.

The Cardinals also announced the signing of two veteran cornerbacks, both of whom were expected to sign.

The officially signed B.W. Webb and Ken Crawley.

Webb has been in the NFL since 2013 and has spent time on eight NFL rosters. Most recently, he played 15 games, starting 12 games, for the Cincinnati Bengals. He had 37 tackles, an interception and seven pass breakups.

He is 5-11 and 188 pounds, and has four career interceptions and 27 career pass breakups.

He has also been a starter for the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints, starting 33 games over the last four seasons.

He is more effective when playing from the slot.

Crawley is listed at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds. He entered the league as an undrafted rookie 2016 with the New Orleans Saints, where he played through part of 2019. He played four games for the Miami Dolphins last season as well. Most recently, he was with the Las Vegas Raiders. He signed with them in January and was recently released after getting cleared from the COVID-19 reserve.

He has played in 43 games and starter 25 times. He has one career interception, 31 career pass breakups and 131 career tackles.

His best season was in 2017 when he started 13 games for the Saints, had one interception and broke up 17 passes.

Both get one-year contracts and will compete for a spot on the roster and potentially a starting spot.

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