Packers bring back a familiar face to address a major roster issue as injuries pile up at the worst possible time
Green Bay claimed Jonathan Ford off waivers from the Chicago Bears.
The Green Bay Packers have handled a revolving door at defensive tackle. After losing Devonte Wyatt for the season, the team had added Jordon Riley off the New York Giants’ practice squad and claimed Quinton Bohanna off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks.
However, Riley suffered an Achilles injury during the loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night — he’s out for the season as well. So on Monday, general manager Brian Gutekunst took advantage of a market opportunity to address the depth issue, and the Packers claimed Jonathan Ford off waivers from the Chicago Bears.
Old friend is back in Green Bay
A 27-year-old defensive tackle, Jonathan Ford was a seventh-round pick by the Packers in 2022. He spent two and a half seasons in Green Bay, but was waived and re-signed to the practice squad during last season. In December 2024, the Bears signed Ford off the Packers’ PS.
The interior defensive lineman was in and out of the Bears’ 53-man roster throughout this year, and got waived on Saturday. The Packers decided to claim him and add a player who already knows defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s system.
Jonathan Ford never played regular season snaps for the Packers, being mostly a healthy scratch or spending developmental time on the practice squad.
For the Bears, he played 173 defensive snaps, 96 of them this season. He generated one pressure and had four stops throughout his NFL career. Ford primarily plays as a 3-tech, but he can also act as a true nose tackle.
Depth at defensive tackle
With Jordon Riley going on IR, Jonathan Ford enters a defensive tackle room that has Karl Brooks, Colby Wooden, Warren Brinson, Quinton Bohanna, and undrafted rookie Nazir Stackhouse, who’s been a healthy scratch over the past few weeks.
James Ester and international player Dante Barnett are on the practice squad, but haven’t been elevated this year.
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