The Green Bay Packers' reeling defensive line took another hit last week.
Not only did the Packers allow 307 rushing yards and four touchdowns to the Baltimore Ravens, including 216 to Derrick Henry, but they also lost Jordon Riley for the season. It's yet another injury blow to arguably the team's most depleted unit.
It forced the Packers to make a desperate roster move. They made a successful waiver claim for defensive tackle Jonathan Ford, whom the Chicago Bears waived on December 27. The Packers drafted Ford in the seventh round three years ago, but he never played a snap for them. That could change soon.
Packers bring back former draft pick Jonathan Ford to add depth to depleted defensive line
The Ravens showed the NFL how to beat the Packers: Run at them over and over.
According to Ben Fennell of NFL on CBS, Green Bay allowed 25 runs of at least five yards against Baltimore, the most by any defense over the past four seasons. It's concerning, with a date against either the Chicago Bears or Philadelphia Eagles coming up in Round 1 of the playoffs. Both teams have dominant offensive lines.
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Ironically, Ford returns to Green Bay after spending two seasons in Chicago, one of the two potential playoff opponents. He never played a snap during his three seasons with the Packers, but they might need him now.
Ford played 96 snaps for the Bears this season but didn't make much of an impact. He earned a Pro Football Focus grade of just 37.0, as well as a disappointing run defense grade of 40.7.
A year ago, Jeff Hafley's defense had Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, and T.J. Slaton playing important roles up front. All three are gone. Clark went to Dallas as part of the Micah Parsons trade, Wyatt is on injured reserve, and Slaton signed with the Bengals in free agency.
Hafley must now rely on an interior defensive line led by Karl Brooks and Colby Wooden, with backup provided by Quinton Bohanna, rookies Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse, and now Ford. Unfortunately, their most recent performance leaves plenty of concerns.
Bringing back Ford shows just how badly the Packers needed to add depth. He could finally get an opportunity to play snaps for this defense, and they may need him.
It's going to take a significant improvement from last week's loss for this Packers' run defense to have any shot in the playoffs. They have to hope Ford can be part of the solution.