The New Orleans Saints saw two of their own make the cut on the Team of the Week from Pro Football Focus for Week 3 of the preseason. A week after backup quarterback Taysom Hill headlined the list of top performers, teammates Ken Crawley and Deonte Harris were plugged into the lineup.
Here’s what the analysts at Pro Football Focus took away from each player’s performance. Crawley received an 87.0 overall grade after playing 31 defensive snaps.
Looking to bounce back after struggling last season, New Orleans Saints cornerback Ken Crawley delivered his best performance of the preseason against the New York Jets this week. From 18 snaps in coverage, he allowed just one reception that went for no gain and came away with a pass breakup.
It would be tremendous if Crawley can return to a starting-quality level of play; his 2016 debut was hard to watch, but he turned in a year of impressive game tape in 2017 before regressing hard in 2018. This is a contract year for him if he makes the final roster, and he could earn real playing time behind starting corners Marshon Lattimore and Eli Apple.
As for Harris (71.0 overall grade), the rookie sensation made the best play of his career to-date with a win-clinching punt returned for a touchdown. The former Assumption College standout has made waves in his first summer as a professional, and appears to have the returns specialist job all locked up. He’ll have one more chance to secure it before the regular season when the Saints host the Miami Dolphins in their preseason finale.
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