Two Newcomers Will Play Critical Roles for Packers in Playoffs

For the Green Bay Packers to make a run in the playoffs, these two new additions to the roster are going to have to be standouts vs. the Bears and beyond.

Green Bay Packers cornerback closes in on a tackle against the Vikings. | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On the surface, Trevon Diggs and Jonathan Ford have nothing in common.

Diggs, an All-American at Alabama, was a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and an immediate star. He intercepted 11 passes in 2021, the most for any player since 1980.

Ford, a two-year starter at Miami but never an all-ACC selection, was a seventh-round pick in 2022. He’s never started a game.

On Saturday night, the Green Bay Packers will kick off what they hope will be a deep run in the NFL playoffs when they play at the Chicago Bears in an NFC wild-card game. Diggs and Ford, two players who joined the team last week, could have key roles.

Maybe Trevon Diggs Can Make Game-Changing Play

After a season in which he was limited by injuries and didn’t even break up a pass, the Cowboys dumped Diggs last Tuesday to get out of the rest of the five-year, $97 million contract extension he signed in July 2023.

The Packers, starved not just for playmaking cornerbacks but healthy cornerbacks after placing Nate Hobbs and Kamal Hadden on injured reserve, took a flier on Diggs by claiming him off waivers. He arrived in Green Bay the following night, practiced twice and started against Minnesota.

He played the first five series and didn’t give up a catch, according to the judgment of Pro Football Focus and Next Gen Stats.

“I think when he first got out there, he was kind of playing a little loose and playing a little off the ball, but you could see the more comfortable he got, the more aggressive he was,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said.

“It was one of the first third downs of the game. He was on the right side and we sent a pressure, and he broke the ball up against Jefferson; I thought he was going to pick it off. So, I was really pleased with that play. Probably even more so, I liked his physicality. He got off blocks on a screen and he made the play and he took a pretty violent punch [on the ball].”

Diggs called it a “great start.” He played with a wristband to help him execute a playbook he’d barely seen.

“I was up a lot – up all night, actually – just studying the plays, getting the calls down,” he said. “Just didn’t want to go out there and put any mistakes on the field.”

When Diggs arrived in Green Bay, he told reporters that, “I still feel like I’m the best” cornerback in the NFL. While much was made of Diggs allowing a league-worst 158.3 passer rating, making that comment seem delusional, he was rarely targeted while with Dallas.

“I think if I just do what I do, go out there and listen to my coaches, listen to the things that they tell me putting me in position, I’m going to be able to make the plays,” Diggs said. “It’s no pressure. It’s still football, at the end of the day, and I’m prepared, I’m ready. I’m just excited to go out there and help this team win.”

There’s no doubt that Keisean Nixon will start against the Bears. Has Diggs done enough in a week to unseat Carrington Valentine? The physicality he showed on the screen to Jefferson could give him that opportunity.

“Whatever they need me to do, whatever opportunity I get, I’m going to be ready, I’m going to be prepared,” Diggs said. “Whenever my number gets called or if it’s this many plays or not that many plays, I’m always going to be ready and I’m prepared.”

No team in the playoffs produced fewer takeaways than the Packers’ 14. Only one team had fewer interceptions than the Packers’ six.

Diggs doesn’t have any interceptions this season, but he’s made those big plays in his career. He’s 6-foot-1 with a nose for the ball and proven playmaking ability. It could just take one play to beat the Bears or whatever’s ahead in these playoffs.

“It’s a blessing,” he said. “It’s hard to win in this league and it’s hard to go to the playoffs, so just being here, being able to go to the playoffs, it’s been truly a blessing and I’m truly thankful.”

Maybe Jonathan Ford Can Stop the Run

Ford hadn’t played in a game for the team that drafted him until last week.

“We talked about Diggs just getting here; Ford just walked in the door, too,” Hafley said. “With all the injuries that we’ve had and then losing (Jordon) Riley, we bring in Ford and within a couple days he’s out there playing, too. It’s not like, ‘Hey, just line up and take on double teams.’ He’s got to learn where to line up, what techniques to play, when he’s in movement, when he’s in stunts, how we rush, and I thought he did a really good job.

“He gives us a big guy. I thought he played really hard and physical. Probably with a higher motor than I remember when he was here. I think it’s a guy who was given an opportunity and he wanted to make the most of it.”

Ford, listed by the Packers at 6-foot-5 and 338 pounds, played a career-high 30 snaps against the Vikings. He probably played well enough to be on the field again on Saturday night, with his size being an asset against the powerhouse Bears run game.

“I feel like I did do a good job,” he said. “Obviously, it’s more room for improvement but I came out of the game real confident knowing that I gave everything I had.”

Ford spent two-and-a-half seasons on Green Bay’s practice squad but never played in a game. Chicago signed him to its 53-man roster at midseason last year, and he wound up playing in 77 snaps during the final four games of the season.

This season, Ford played in eight games before he was released. The Packers claimed him off waivers last Tuesday, and he was on the field against the Vikings after three practices.

“It meant a lot,” Ford said. “It meant a lot, obviously, coming back to the team that drafted me. Being able to come back and this organization believing in me and going out there to do my job, it made me comfortable, for one, and then talking to Coach Hafley, he let me know that just, ‘Hey, just go out and have fun,’ and that’s what I did. Had a lot of fun.”

Ford will go against his former team on Saturday night. He said there’s no bad blood. The Bears gave him his first real playing time, and he’s grateful for it.

“No emotions. No emotions,” he said. “Just want to be focused and dialed in and don’t let my emotions take me off task from what I have to do out there on the field. So, I won’t have any emotions. I’ll be focused and I’ll be ready to go out and give everything I have.”

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER