Evan “Tex” Western | SB Nation, Acme Packing Company

Nose tackle is one of the biggest areas of concern on the Green Bay Packers’ roster heading into the 2026 season, but on Wednesday — shortly before the start of the NFL’s league year — the team brought a player back at that spot to give them competition and options in training camp.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Packers will re-sign Jonathan Ford for the upcoming season, bringing him back after he had returned to Green Bay late last year. The financial terms of Ford’s deal are not yet disclosed, but can be inferred by his experience and free agency status.

Ford was a 7th-round draft pick by the Packers in 2022 out of the University of Miami. Ford spent his entire rookie season on Green Bay’s 53-man roster, but he was a healthy scratch for every game. He then failed to make the 53 in his second year, instead landing on the Packers’ practice squad for the entire season. He then spent the first half of the 2024 season on injured reserve before being waived, at which time the Chicago Bears picked him up. Ford then bounced back and forth between Chicago’s practice squad and the 53-man roster for the remainder of 2024 and most of 2025 before the Packers claimed him on waivers late in December.

Ford gets credit for a year of free agency experience for 2022, which made eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. However, he will likely be back on a low-priced one-year contract with little to no guaranteed money.

This deal by no means closes the door on any additions to the defensive line. Ford and Jordon Riley are both on one-year, non-guaranteed deals and will surely be competing for a roster spot in training camp. Meanwhile, the Packers could be in on free agent-to-be Javon Hargrave as well as a potential nose tackle prospect at some point in the 2026 NFL Draft. Still, the move gives the team another body to compete there with little to no financial commitment.