Although the Chicago Bears may have no playoff hopes and little chance of defeating the Green Bay Packers, they still managed to get one over on their NFC North rivals.
The division’s bottom team made some roster changes on Wednesday, including placing DeAndre Carter on IR to open up a spot on the 53-man roster. Instead of promoting someone from their practice squad, they chose to take a player from Green Bay’s. Here’s what this move means for both teams.
Bears Poach Jonathan Ford From Packers
A 7th-round pick for the Packers in the 2022 NFL Draft, Ford had yet to play in a regular season game, but the team kept him on the practice squad to help develop him for the future. As a practice squad player, he was free to sign with any team, provided he joined their active roster.
And that’s exactly what the Bears did, seemingly believing they knew more about Ford’s potential than Green Bay did and that he deserved an active roster spot. Plus, sticking it to a division rival always adds a bit of satisfaction.
Of course, this wasn’t a waiver claim — Ford had to agree to sign with the Bears and leave Green Bay.
You can’t blame him for seeking a chance to advance his NFL career. With the Bears in a rebuilding phase, he might actually get some playing time in the final stretch of the season, something he wouldn’t have had the chance to do in Green Bay.
Still, it stings. After nearly three years with the Packers, Ford could have had a shot at a deep playoff run, but instead, he’s joining a team with little hope of winning. One would think he might have developed a stronger rivalry with the Bears by now.
While Ford is unlikely to make a major impact in Chicago, if he does, this move will only fuel the ongoing Packers-Bears rivalry.
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