The Packers Didn’t Need Him First Time; They Desperately Need Him Now

GREEN BAY, Wis. – For two-and-a-half seasons, the Green Bay Packers didn’t need Jonathan Ford.

They need him now.

Ford was a seventh-round pick in 2022. He spent his entire rookie season, all of his second season and the first half of his third season on Green Bay’s practice squad. Because Green Bay’s defensive front was a picture of health, Ford didn’t play in a single regular-season game until the Chicago Bears signed him off the practice squad at midseason in 2024.

A lot has changed. The Packers’ defensive line was crushed by the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night. Devonte Wyatt, a first-round pick in 2022 and the best player on the unit, is on injured reserve. The man who essentially took his place on the roster, Jordon Riley, is on injured reserve, too.

So, the man who couldn’t crack the lineup during his first stint with the Packers will have a key role for however long this season continues.

“He’s been preaching opportunity since I met him,” Ford said of conversations with defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington. “He told me you got a big shot this week. Opportunity to go out there and show that you can help us in the playoffs and that’s all I want to do is just go and help this team as much as I can.”

The Packers are coming off one of the worst run-defending games in franchise history. The 6-foot-5, 338-pound Ford has had an enormous opportunity placed upon his enormous shoulders.

“I just want to contribute. That’s it,” Ford said on Wednesday after his first practice with his former and current team. “That’s behind us. That game is done. We can’t live in the past, whatever happened last game. So, for me, I just want to come in and help the guys and give my best effort and be confident and show I can play, and that’s it.”

With the Bears, Ford played in four games last season and eight games this season. They released him on Monday and the Packers claimed him off waivers on Tuesday.

“It was great to see him,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s a massive human, and I’m looking forward to seeing how much he’s progressed over the course of a year from when he was last year.”

So, where has he progressed?

“Just with my attention to detail,” he said. “I came here as a young player. This is where I started. So, when they got me, I was still a puppy. I’m not a 10-year vet, but I’ve grown over the years as far as my technique, my attention to detail, just the way I play the game overall. I just think that as a player I just grew.”

With 173 snaps of regular-season experience at Chicago, Ford is a more experienced and confident player.

“It’s definitely boosted it,” he said of his confidence. “It definitely boosted it because you can be in the league for however long but, if you just practicing and kind of developing, you really don’t know what you got until you get out there when you go against the ones you do good-on-good.

Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Jonathan Ford (99) carries a child's bicycle during training camp in 2024. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK

“The fact that I was able to do that it helped me. It definitely boosted my confidence. It gave me the confidence to let me know that I can do it and that I belong in this league.”

The Packers will need that confidence, probably as soon as Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay’s defensive tackles were pushed around by the bigger and more physical Ravens. The Packers will play the Bears or the Eagles, both of whom feature high-powered rushing attacks, in the playoffs.

Knowing the Packers were undersized, general manager Brian Gutekunst signed Riley off the Giants’ practice squad and claimed Quinton Bohanna off waivers from the Seahawks. Riley, who played 64 snaps in four games, injured his Achilles against the Ravens and Bohanna didn’t pan out.

So, the Packers replaced size with size by claiming Ford.

He learned the news when he was in bed.

“I literally was about to take a nap, because I was waiting on my agent to call me because I knew around that time they were letting me know somebody claimed me,” Ford said. “So, literally as soon as I put my phone down and rolled over to take a little quick nap, he called me and he was like [Green Bay] claimed you and I thought it was a joke. But it was real so I ended up just packing a little small bag and I got on the road as soon as I could.”

Ford is familiar with Jeff Hafley’s scheme and knows a bunch of the players. Going from one playoff team to another was a “blessing,” he said.

“It feels great because we just saw this team a few weeks ago,” he said, “and the fact of the matter I saw a lot of my buddies here and I hugged them and I thought that was going to be the last time I saw them and then, boom, I’m back in the locker room.”

About that locker room. It received an extreme makeover during Ford’s absence.

“I didn’t even know how to get around when I got back here,” he said with a smile. “I came back and I asked to use the bathroom and I’m like, ‘Where the bathroom?’ I’m happy to be back though. It’s a great organization. The fact that they consider me to bring me back here is special and I feel great about it and I’m willing to contribute anything I have to do to this team.”

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