Packers safety battle enters home stretch after Rudy Ford joins starting rotation

The battle for the starting safety job is heating up for the Green Bay Packers. With the NFL regular season quickly approaching, guys continue to battle for the spot. Rudy Ford is hopeful to anchor down that position.

Head coach Matt LaFleur didn’t provide any specific insight into who would win the starting job, but said the staff has a good indication.

As for Ford? LaFleur heaped praise on the veteran defensive back.

“He’s done a really nice job,” LaFleur said, per the team’s website. “Communication is a big part of that position, making sure everybody’s on the same page, and I think he’s handled that pretty well. Hopefully, he can … go out there and compete in the game at a high level.”

Ford opened training camp as the starting safety for the Packers. Over the course of past several weeks, the Packers have used a rotation of Jonathan Owens, Tarvarius Moore and Anthony Johnson Jr.

Last season, Ford started in six games for Green Bay, matching a career high. He finished the season with 44 tackles and three interceptions. Does his big year in 2022 along with his training camp progress give him the edge to lock down the starting job?

Ford was a sixth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Auburn. He played with the Arizona Cardinals (2017-18), Philadelphia Eagles (2019-20) and Jacksonville Jaguars before arriving in Green Bay.

In his first six years in the NFL, Ford has been credited with 132 tackles and four interceptions.

What can we expect from Packers in 2023?

There’s a lot of curiosity surrounding Green Bay heading into 2023. It feels like a rebuilding year for LaFleur and the Packers. Veteran offensive lineman David Bakhtiari calls the unknowns “exciting.”

“It’s a big question mark,” Bakhtiari said, via Ryan Wood of USA Today. “There’s a lot of guys who haven’t played a lot of football. It’s a new look, and that’s exciting. Because you don’t really know what to expect. When teams scout us… how much film are they looking at?”

Losing Aaron Rodgers created a lot of mystery around the team. Will it be a playoff contender? Or will it be sitting near the bottom of the NFC North when the season winds down?

We’ll find out soon enough.