Packers Free Agents Stay or Go: Rudy Ford

Should the Green Bay Packers re-sign Rudy Ford or let him go? We deliver the pros and cons in Part 5 of this series on the Packers’ 2023 free agents.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Feb 23, 2023 10:09 PM EST

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have 14 players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents this offseason, including safety Rudy Ford.

Going in alphabetical order, our “Stay or Go” series will look at each of those players in advance of the official start of free agency on March 15. Why should the Packers re-sign Ford? Why should they let him go? Is there a replacement on the roster? Could they get a compensatory draft pick in exchange?

Packers Should Re-Sign Rudy Ford

The Jacksonville Jaguars released Ford at the end of training camp. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst wisely pounced, handing the veteran safety a minimum contract and small signing bonus.

Ford greatly outperformed his contract and his history. In his first five NFL seasons, he started six games and had one interception. In 17 games for the Packers, he started six games and intercepted three passes. Ford picked off two passes against Dallas, which equaled the combined season total posted by starters Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage.

Before replacing Savage at safety, Ford made his mark on special teams. While he had only four tackles, he was instrumental in the early-season success of the punt team because of his speed as a flier.

Packers Should Let Ford Sign Elsewhere

Really, there’s no reason to let Ford go. Not that he was perfect. Ford did struggle down the stretch. Against Miami, he at least was partially to blame for the 84-yard, catch-and-run touchdown by Jaylen Waddle and the 52-yard bomb to Tyreek Hill. That would be the last of his six consecutive starts. Against Minnesota a week later, he was late to arrive and missed the tackle on Jalen Nailor’s 47-yard, garbage-time touchdown. In the finale against Detroit, he gave up a 43-yard completion to Kalif Raymond.

It took until Ford’s fifth season (2021 with Jacksonville) to break up the first passes of his career. It seems unlikely that Ford, who will turn 29 next season, suddenly is ready to be a starter.

Who Would Replace Ford?

The safety depth chart is lacking in depth with Amos, Ford and special-teams standout Dallin Leavitt among the team’s free agents.

Who’s left? Savage, the 2019 first-round pick who will play under the fifth-year option in 2023, was benched and has a long history of bad tackling. Tariq Carpenter, a seventh-round pick in 2022, finished strong on special teams but has only 16 snaps of experience on defense. Innis Gaines, who went undrafted in 2020, earned his first NFL start and 44 snaps in 2022. And James Wiggins, a seventh-round pick by the Cardinals in 2021, has played zero career snaps on defense.

Could the Packers Gain a Compensatory Draft Pick for Ford?

Last offseason, the Packers lost starting nickel Chandon Sullivan to the Vikings and backup linebacker Oren Burks to the 49ers. By OverTheCap.com’s projections, the Packers will receive a seventh-round compensatory pick for both players. Ford is at least as good as Sullivan and better than Burks.

The Verdict on Rudy Ford

Is Ford a starting safety? Perhaps not. But he’s valuable depth on defense and an excellent player on special teams.

“Rudy’s been doing some good things and, when given opportunities on defense, he’s maximized those,” coach Matt LaFleur said a day after Ford’s two-interception game vs. Dallas. “He plays with a lot of speed. You can feel his speed out there, and he’s physical, too.”

There’s always room on the roster for players with speed and physicality.