After losing a player from their practice squad earlier this week, the New Orleans Saints wasted no time filling the open spot. Per Luke Johnson of NOLA.com, the Saints have brought cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles back to the practice squad.
Jean-Charles was initially signed by the team late last season where he served predominantly on special teams. Over the course of training camp and the preseason, he continued to do so but also impressed with his ability on defense.
During his three preseason matchups, Jean-Charles saw 35 or more snaps on defense in each game. He allowed only four catches on eight targets for 49 yards and no touchdowns. He held opposing passers to a 69.3 NFL passer rating and forced incompletions on 25 percent of his targets, per Pro Football Focus.
After 53-man rosters were set, the expectation was that Jean-Charles would return to the Saints on their initial practice squad. It was a surprise when he did not. However, now the Saints get some more depth at the position after starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore left the Week 1 game against the Carolina Panthers early with a hamstring issue.
While Lattimore has insisted that he is fine, having additional depth at the position is never a bad decision. The “better safe than sorry” approach is consistent with the Saints’ typical injury dealings.
