Packers Lose Defensive Depth Right Before Playoffs Thanks to Bears

The Chicago Bears may not have anything left to play for this season, and they may have no hope of beating the Green Bay Packers, but that didn't stop them from finding a way to stick it to their NFC North rivals.

The bottom feeders of the division made some roster shakeups on Wednesday, which included freeing up a spot on the 53-man unit by placing DeAndre Carter on IR. Rather than promoting one of their own practice squad players to fill the spot, they stole one of Green Bay's. Let's look at what that move means for both sides.

Bears Poach Jonathan Ford From Packers

A 7th-round pick for the Pack in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ford had yet to suit up for a regular season game, but the team had kept him on the practice squad to work on developing him into a future contributor. As a practice squad player, however, he was eligible to sign with any other team, as long as he signed directly to their active roster.

So that's exactly what the Bears did — somehow thinking they knew more than Green Bay about Ford's game and that he was worth an active roster spot. And hey, sticking it to your division rival makes a move a little sweeter, right?

Of course, it takes two to tango. This isn't a waiver wire situation — Ford had to sign the deal with the Bears and agree to leave for Chicago.

You can't fault him for wanting the opportunity to take his NFL career to the next step. The struggling Bears should be tanking at this point, and that means he might actually get some live game reps down the stretch this season. He wasn't going to get that opportunity in Green Bay.

But it still stings. You'd think a guy who had spent almost three years with the Packers, and who now has a real shot at being involved in a deep playoff run, would have developed a little more of a distaste for the Bears and for playing on a team with no hopes of winning.

Ford is unlikely to ever make an actual difference in Chicago, but if he does then expect this move to be even more fuel for the Packers-Bears rivalry.

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