Packers Lose Former Draft Pick to Bears, Sign Pass Rusher

Jonathan Ford was signed the Chicago Bears’ 53-man roster; the Green Bay Packers wasted no time filling the spot.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Jeremiah Martin (60) sacks Minnesota Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens. / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers signed defensive end Jeremiah Martin to their practice squad on Wednesday.

He fills the spot left by defensive tackle Jonathan Ford, who signed to the Chicago Bears’ 53-man roster.

After three seasons at Texas A&M, Martin concluded his collegiate career at Washington. During his final season for the Huskies, he recorded 8.5 sacks, 11 tackles for losses and two forced fumbles to earn first-team all-Pac-12 Conference honors.

“More confidence, I'll say more confidence and believing in my ability,” he said during his breakout season. “Rushing that passer isn't really my strong suit. I keep moving my feet towards the quarterback and hope I get there before they do.”

His big season was a reward for patience after barely playing for A&M.

“There were sleepless nights,” he said. “There were nights where I’m up thinking I might as well just go back home and work for FedEx or something. But I really just stayed the course.”

Martin was a team captain during his final season. He even played a little tight end to serve as an extra blocker.

“He’s a guy that every morning you come to work and you’re excited to see him,” his college position coach, Eric Schmidt, said. “It’s why you coach. Guys that are young and full of energy and have a lot of promise and goals and aspirations and things like that, those are the guys you want to help. You want to pour yourself into guys like him and it’s easy to pour yourself into guys like him.”

Martin measured 6-foot-3 3/8 and weighed 265 pounds before the 2023 draft. With a 4.90-second 40-yard dash, his Relative Athletic Score was 6.59.

Martin went undrafted in 2023 and spent his rookie training camp with the Cleveland Browns. He was released at the end of training camp and joined the Giants’ practice squad late in the season.

This year, he was released by the Giants after the draft and again spent training camp with the Browns. In the preseason, he had one sack, two quarterback hits and three tackles for losses.

Martin began playing football as a sophomore at Cajon High School in San Bernardino, Calif. As a senior, he had 30.5 sacks to finish in the top five in single-season sacks in California high school history.

Ford was a seventh-round pick by the Packers in 2022. This was his third season on the practice squad and he has yet to play in a regular-season game.

“Sometimes, different players’ paths are a little bit different, and you got to put it in the work,” coach Matt LaFleur said recently, when it appeared Ford might get an opportunity due to injuries.

“I think we've seen a lot of good examples of guys that have spent a significant amount of time on a P-squad and have grinded and finally gotten their opportunity, guys like Bo Melton, Arron Mosby. So, I think it gives guys that are in that situation some hope for them that, if they continue to work and do the right things and perform at a high level, that they'll get their opportunity.”

The Packers will host the Bears in Week 18.

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