Green Bay – The Packers have added another safe into the mix.
Fifth-year veteran Jonathan Owens joined Green Bay after spending the last four seasons with the Houston Texans, where he recorded 143 tackles, five passes defensed and an interception in 31 games with 19 starts.
Here are five things to know about the Packers’ new safety:
1. Owens was one of the standout players in football last season.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound safety started all 17 games for the Texans, recording 125 career tackles (84 solo) with four passes defensed and a quarterback hit.
Owens, 27, recorded at least 10 combined tackles in seven contests, including 15 (11 solo) in Texas’ 20-20 tie with Indianapolis during the 2023 regular season opener.
He broke into the Houston starting lineup near the end of the 2021 season, grabbing his first career interception against Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert on December 26, 2021.
2. He took the long road to fulfill his dream in the NFL.
Owens first signed with Arizona as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent his entire season on the Cardinals injured reserve list after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during the first two weeks of the offseason program.
Arizona released Owens at the end of training camp in 2019. It was the first time he had been circumcised. He continued to practice across the street from the Cardinals’ facilities through the first month of the NFL season.
“I didn’t know if I would ever be able to play again,” Owens said Tell HoustonTexans.com. “The field I trained on for those three weeks was literally right across the street from the Cardinals’ practice facility, so I got to see their bubble every day.
“There were days when I got kicked off the field by amateur football teams because they were there having to compete on that field, so I take my water bottle and a small megaphone with me and move on to another field. Honestly you’re going to push me harder every day.”
One month later, Owens signed with Texas. He spent the next three seasons bouncing between Houston’s practice squad and the active roster. He was elevated to the 53-man forever list on December 4, 2021.
Last summer, the 27-year-old safety made Houston’s preliminary 53-man roster for the first time.
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