Miami Dolphins claim former Packers LB James Crawford on waivers

A former Green Bay Packers linebacker has a new home. The Packers waived James Crawford on Monday, two days after he made the team’s initial 53-man roster. The move was necessary to make room for fellow linebacker BJ Goodson, whom the Packers acquired via trade from the New York Giants.

Luckily for Crawford, he was not out of a job for long. According to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, Crawford was scooped up on waivers, as the league awarded him to the Miami Dolphins. Miami has gone through a bit of a purge of their roster in recent days, trading away three starters — left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wideout Kenny Stills, and linebacker Kiko Alonso — since Saturday.

Crawford projects to play a similar role in Miami that he was slated for in Green Bay: serving as a backup linebacker and a key special teams contributor. The Dolphins have established starters at two of their three linebacker positions in Jerome Baker and Raekwon McMillan, with the third spot up in the air. It’s possible that Crawford could compete for that starting job with a former Packer and Wisconsin Badger, Vince Biegel, along with another former Badger in Andrew Van Ginkel.

There is another more significant connection in Miami that may have driven this acquisition, however. Patrick Graham, the Packers’ inside linebackers coach and defensive run game coordinator last year, is now the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator, and it seems logical that he may have contributed to Miami’s evaluation of Crawford.