Owens Takes Remarkable Path to Competing for Starting Job

From going undrafted to tearing an ACL, to starting for the Texans and marrying Simone Biles, it’s been quite a journey for new Packers safety Jonathan Owens.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
May 24, 2023 2:15 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Olympic legend Simone Biles inspired countless numbers of aspiring gymnasts. She also inspired her husband, new Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens.

“Just watching her and how she worked every day going into the Olympics – her focus and her drive – it just makes you want to get up and do something because your partner is doing that,” Owens said following Tuesday’s organized team activity.

In a span of about two weeks, Owens went from a beach in Mexico for his destination wedding with Biles, to a free-agent visit with the Packers to the Ray Nitschke practice field.

“It’s actually been pretty crazy,” Owens said. “The week of the wedding is when I had heard the team contacted my agent. I kind of knew I was going to be coming here. It was just like the perfect wedding gift, I guess you could say. As soon as we got back from our short honeymoon, I came right here. Had to get to work.”

Owens would be a remarkable story even without Biles by his side.

He went undrafted in 2018 out of Missouri Western.

“I’m undrafted, man. So, I take that with me everywhere I go,” he said. “If anyone in the NFL knows, when you say you’re undrafted, it’s always a respect thing. I went to a Division II school right out of high school. I always carried a chip on my shoulder.”

Having signed with the Arizona Cardinals after the 2018 draft, he suffered a torn ACL during the final week of OTAs. His belief that could make it in the league never wavered.

“I’m not going to say I couldn’t see myself doing anything else, but I felt this is really what God wanted me to do,” Owens said. “I was here to play football and I knew I was good enough to play.”

He signed to the Houston Texans’ practice squad in September 2019. He cried tears of joy.

“Whatever it takes to get to the roster, I really honed in on that,” he said. “But I knew I could play, man. At that point, it was just about being patient and waiting for that opportunity and Houston gave me that opportunity.”

He spent most of the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons on their practice squad. In 2021, with a starter out due to COVID, Owens made his second career start and intercepted Chargers star Justin Herbert.

“That was the moment that really changed my life and let me know I belonged,” he said. “After that point, it was just confidence and just playing with that confidence. When you know that you’re somewhere you’re supposed to be, you carry yourself differently. I had film, so I wasn’t just a practice squad guy now. I went in the game and actually performed and made plays. That’s what clicked is the confidence of knowing I can do it.”

In 2022, Owens made the 53-man roster and started all 17 games. While he didn’t record any interceptions, he finished second on the team with 125 tackles.

“I’ve been on practice squad multiple years,” he said. “I just took it as something I need to get better at. I just kept my head down, waited for my opportunity and took advantage of it.”

Despite Owens’ solid season, the Texans elected to sign veteran Jimmie Ward in free agency this offseason. New Houston coach DeMeco Ryans was Ward’s defensive coordinator in San Francisco.

“New team, new coach. I get it,” Owens said. “The previous coaching staff, I kind of grew up with them, you know what I mean? I earned my start with them. It’s the NFL. There’s no hard feelings. They gave me an opportunity to start and it was amazing. I’m ready to move on to this next chapter.”

That next chapter is with Green Bay. The depth chart is crowded; it also lacks an obvious partner to Darnell Savage. The opportunity to win a starting job made this the “perfect” opportunity for Owens.

“It was just a great situation, man,” he said. “They were one of the teams that showed a lot of interest. They had contacted my agent throughout the free agency process. I was just kind of waiting for the right situation. We took a visit here and it was just amazing – the people, the city. It was super-welcoming, everyone here. Very family-oriented organization. I just fell in love with it.”