Former Tar Heel signed to Giants practice squad
The New York Giants signed former North Carolina defensive lineman Aaron Crawford to the practice squad on Tuesday, according to Giants beat writer Art Stapleton.
Crawford, who was an undrafted free agent signing by the Baltimore Ravens in 2020, was released and received an injury settlement in early September.
After spending most of his first two seasons in the NFL on Baltimore's practice squad, he will be reunited with Giants defensive coordinator Don Martindale, who spent the previous four seasons as the Ravens defensive coordinator.
Crawford appeared in one NFL game in 2020, recording one tackle in a 19-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Prior to embarking on his NFL career, Crawford spent parts of five seasons in Chapel Hill, seeing action in 42 games.
The Ashburn, Virginia native tallied 128 total tackles, including 15.5 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks.
As he finds his new home in the NFC East, Crawford could add much needed depth for the Giants at defensive line. New York currently has multiple linemen on Injured Reserve and could call up Crawford in the near future, especially with Martindale's familiarity with the nose tackle.
Crawford will once again team up with former Tar Heels Tomon Fox and Joshua Ezeudu, who are both on the active roster.