Re-sign or Let Go and Prediction: Packers S Rudy Ford
By Paul Bretl
The Green Bay Packers have 14 unrestricted free agents to address during NFL free agency this offseason.
Over the next few weeks, my “Re-sign or Let go & Prediction” series is back, where I will be taking a look at each of the Packers’ unrestricted free agents, and examining why Green Bay may try to re-sign them, why they would let them walk, and then I’ll make a prediction.
Next up is safety and special teamer Rudy Ford. If you’ve missed any of the other articles in this series, you can find them all below.
Why the Packers would re-sign Rudy Ford
There are two primary reasons that Rudy Ford will be back with the Green Bay Packers in 2023. The first is the lack of depth at the safety position. At the moment, only Darnell Savage, who was benched at one point last season, Tariq Carpenter and Vernon Scott, two former seventh-round picks, and James Wiggins are under contract.
When called upon, Ford provided some much-needed reliability on the back end of the Packers’ defense. He was a sound and willing tackler, finishing 19th out of 90 safeties in PFF’s run-stop rate, and, for the most part, he always seemed to be positioned in the right spot, as evidenced by his three interceptions and one fumble recovery. This sounds simple, but for a defense that struggled with tackling in the secondary and had a number of coverage breakdowns, Ford’s presence was refreshing.
The second reason that Green Bay would want Ford back is that prior to his role expanding on defense, he was a core special teams player, specifically as a flier on the punt coverage unit. Ford, along with Keisean Nixon before he moved to return man, did an excellent job of limiting the punt return men. As a team, the Packers’ punt return rate of 38.5% was the 10th best last season.
Why the Packers won’t re-sign Rudy Ford
I always try to give a balanced opinion in these articles, but the only real reason I couldn’t see Ford returning is because of money. As we all know, the Packers aren’t going to have a ton of spending power this offseason, and if Ford gets a larger contract offer, or perhaps a longer-term deal, that could take Green Bay out of the running as they prioritize their limited free agent dollars elsewhere.
I suppose another reason could be if the Packers worked out a new deal with Adrian Amos, for example — or another free agent — and then planned on spending an early-round pick on the safety position in the draft as well, that could squeeze Ford out, making him the fourth option. However, I don’t see that as a likely outcome at this time.
Prediction: the Packers re-sign Rudy Ford
For the reasons already discussed, Ford’s reliability on defense, the depth needed at safety, and his abilities on special teams, I believe the Packers re-sign him. Although Green Bay will likely be limited in free agency, it’s not as if Ford is going to break the bank. Over the Cap projects that his next contract will pay him $1.33 million per year.
dark. Next. Salary cap impact after reworking Aaron Jones contract
A big part of the Packers’ turnaround on special teams in 2022 was due to Brian Gutekunst bringing in several special teams-specific players in free agency, one of which included Ford. During his end-of-the-season press conference,Gutey commented that Green Bay would again take a similar approach this offseason, given the posiruve resu they had in 2022. Even if the Packers don’t want Ford as a starting safety, he can provide reliable depth and brings a lot of value to the special teams unit, which over the last year, has been a much bigger priority for Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur.