Very little has gone right for the Green Bay Packers defense this season, and very few players are playing above expectations. But Rudy Ford has been one of the bright spots in a disappointing season and is setting himself up to be a part of the Packers’ future plans at the position.
Ford was signed late in the summer following his release from Jacksonville. He was brought in to be a primary special teams player with a reputation for being one of the game’s best fliers (a term Rich Bisaccia uses in place of “gunner”), and we’ve seen those talents on display as he has forced a number of fair catches this season.
However, in addition to Ford’s special teams abilities, he has seen his role on defense expand as the season has progressed. This was in part out of necessity early on due to an injury to Adrian Amos and then poor play from Darnell Savage at safety that resulted in him being moved to the slot, with Ford taking over next to Amos. But following these last three weeks, Ford has become a regular member of the starting defense moving forward because of his ascending play.
Ford has brought two missing elements to the defense this season — playmaking and reliable tackling. Since becoming a regular member of the defensive unit in Week 10 against Dallas, Ford has forced two interceptions, including one in the end zone. Both picks came against the Cowboys and eventually led to 14 points from the offense in an overtime win. He also forced a fumble against Philadelphia that the Green Bay offense again turned into points.
In the run game, Ford flies around the field, playing fast and physical. This season, he has been credited with 29 total tackles, 27 of which are solo, and he has missed only three. Of the 20 Packers defenders with at least 50 run defense snaps, Ford has the highest grade from PFF, and he’s actually been the NFL’s fourth-highest graded safety overall during these last three games.
“I thought he did an outstanding job,” said Matt LaFleur following the Dallas game via The Athletic. “You could really feel his speed and physicality out on the field. There were a couple of open-field tackles that he made that I thought were pretty impressive, so I thought it was, all in all, a really good day for him. Obviously, to be able to trigger on those two picks, especially the one in the red zone after turning the ball over, I mean, that was one of the pivotal plays in the game that gave us the opportunity to kind of stay in the game, and we converted both those into points.”
The safety position is one that is very much going to be in flux this coming offseason due in large part to the Packers not planning ahead very well. As of now, the only safeties under contract in 2023 are Savage on a fifth-year option, but he looks nothing like a long-term answer at the position, and 2022 seventh-round pick Tariq Carpenter, who has been a special teams player as a rookie. Everyone else currently on the roster or practice squad is a free agent, including Amos, who likely won’t be back after having his worst season since coming to Green Bay.
This uncertainty at the position, however, very much opens the door for Ford to return next season. At this point, it may be a little too premature to sharpie him into a roster spot in 2023, but I would at least pencil Ford in at this time, given the outlook of the safety position after this season, coupled with his outstanding play.
