Craig Robertson, Nate Stupar, Michael Mauti, Erik Harris and Daniel Lasco were supposed to be core special teams players for the New Orleans Saints this season.
But, myriad issues have led the Saints to lean on different players to help in that phase of the game.
Robertson has started every game for the defense, and Stupar has started five, which limited their roles on special teams. Mauti, a captain, is on the season-ending non-football injury list due to ulcerative colitis, so he played just eight games. Harris suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee after just four games, and Lasco has played just six due to a lingering hamstring injury.