Ken Crawley (born February 8, 1993) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. He was a member of the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

Professional career

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

2016

On May 1, 2016, the

signed Crawley to a three-year, $1.62 million contract as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $5,000. Throughout

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, he competed for a roster spot against De'Vante Harris, Brandon Dixon, Brian Dixon, Damian Swann, Tony Carter, and Jimmy Pruitt. Crawley made a strong case for a spot on the active roster after turning in multiple impressive performances in practice while taking first team reps at outside

while Keenan Lewis, Delvin Breaux, and Swann were sidelined with injuries. After the release of Lewis, head coach Sean Payton named Crawley the third cornerback on the depth chart behind starters Breaux and P. J. Williams. He made his professional regular season debut in the Saints' season-opener against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

and recorded four solo

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

during their 35–34 loss. The following week, Crawley collected six combined tackles, deflected a pass, and forced the first

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

of his career as the Saints lost 16–13 at the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. During the first quarter, De'Vante Harris recovered the fumble after Crawley caused a fumble while tackling Giants' receiver Victor Cruz with teammate Jairus Byrd. On September 26, 2016, Crawley made his first career start after Williams was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

after suffering a serious

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

the week before. Crawley finished the Saints' 45–32 loss against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

with four solo tackles and two

pass deflections In American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, f ...

. In Week 4, he made a season-high seven combined tackles and a pass deflection during their 35–34 win at the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. Prior to Week 9, Crawley was demoted to a reserve role behind Sterling Moore and B. W. Webb. On December 28, 2016, Crawley suffered a dislocated knee in practice and was ruled inactive for the Saints' Week 17 matchup against the Falcons. Williams finished his rookie season with 43 combined tackles (40 solo), eight pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 15 games and five starts.

2017

Crawley entered training camp competing for the job as the third cornerback on the depth chart against Moore and rookie Marshon Lattimore. Head coach Sean Payton named Crawley the starting cornerback alongside Williams after Breaux suffered a fractured

fibula The fibula (: fibulae or fibulas) or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. ...

. Crawley was inactive for the first two games (Weeks 1–2). On September 24, 2017, he started his first game of the season and recorded a season-high eight combined tackles and a pass deflection. In Week 3, Crawley made four solo tackles, two deflected passes, and made his first career

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

off a pass attempt by

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...

during the Saints' 20–0 victory against the

. He was inactive for the Saints' Week 12 matchup at the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

due to a strained oblique. He finished the season 54 combined tackles (47 solo), 17 pass deflections, and an interception in 13 games and 13 starts. He finished second on the team in pass deflections behind rookie Marshon Lattimore. He received an overall grade of 81.6 from Pro Football Focus, which was the 39th highest grade among cornerbacks. The New Orleans Saints finished first in the

NFC South The National Football Conference – Southern Division or NFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season when th ...

with an 11–5 record. On January 7, 2018, Crawley started his first career playoff game and recorded seven combined tackles and a pass deflection in the Saints' 31–26 victory against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

in the NFC Wildcard game. The following week, he had six combined tackles as New Orleans lost 29–24 at the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

. Crawley was flagged for pass interference on two consecutive plays in the first quarter. The two penalties combined for 54-yards and led to a field goal for the Minnesota Vikings. He was also on the receiving end of a missed tackle by fellow free safety Marcus Williams that knocked him over when the latter was attempting to tackle an airborne Stefon Diggs on the final play of the game, which prevented both of them from having a chance to tackle Diggs. Diggs, in turn, was able to score a

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

on that play to win the game for Minnesota.

2018

Crawley entered training camp stated as a starting cornerback. Head coach Sean Payton named Crawley and Marshon Lattimore the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season, alongside nickelback Patrick Robinson.

2019

On October 29, 2019, Crawley was released by the Saints.

Miami Dolphins

On October 30, 2019, Crawley was claimed off waivers by the

. He was waived/injured on December 4, 2019 and placed on injured reserve. He was released on December 16.

Las Vegas Raiders

On January 23, 2020, Crawley was signed by the

to a reserve/future contract. He was released on August 18, 2020.

Arizona Cardinals

On August 21, 2020, Crawley was signed by the

. On September 5, 2020, Crawley was released during final roster cuts.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On September 28, 2020, Crawley was signed to the Saints

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was elevated to the active roster on October 3 for the team's week 4 game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He was promoted to the active roster on October 12, 2020. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the team on October 23, and activated on October 28. In Week 17 against the Panthers, Crawley recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by P. J. Walker during the 33–7 win. On May 17, 2021, Crawley re-signed with the Saints. He was placed on injured reserve on September 10, 2021. He was activated on November 13. He was waived on November 20. He was re-signed three days later.

San Francisco 49ers

On August 10, 2022, Crawley signed with the

. He was released on August 29.

References

External links

Colorado Buffaloes bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crawley, Ken 1993 births Living people Players of American football from Washington, D.C. H. D. Woodson High School alumni American football cornerbacks Colorado Buffaloes football players New Orleans Saints players Miami Dolphins players Las Vegas Raiders players Arizona Cardinals players San Francisco 49ers players