“5 former Packers regret leaving Green Bay at midseason”

Rudy Ford was another casualty of Green Bay's offseason safety overhaul. Along with Jonathan Owens and Darnell Savage, Ford was shown the door as the Packers brought in fresh talent to bolster the back end of their defense.

And while Green Bay benefited from a major upgrade from Xavier McKinney – whose eight-game interception total surpasses the career totals of Owens (one) and Ford (six) – Ford has struggled to find its footing in the league.

Ford signed with the Carolina Panthers in August, but his stint was short-lived. He was released within two weeks and has yet to be picked up by another team.

Watching the Packers thrive without him and his former safeties colleagues is painful, especially with Ford remaining on the sidelines. He was hoping to land somewhere where he could contribute, but in the middle of the season he's still looking for an opportunity. It was hard for Ford to recover from this offseason adjustment and he wonders what could have been if he had found a better solution elsewhere.

Darnell Savage didn't have to wait long to face his former team. When Green Bay hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Packers had plenty of success targeting Savage in both the passing and running games. They isolated him in space against ball carriers and exploited mismatches that played right into their hands – a strategy emblematic of the struggles Savage faced all season.

On a Jaguars team struggling to find its rhythm, Savage is having one of the worst seasons of his career. The transition hasn't been smooth, and Green Bay's own defensive improvements only highlight what Savage left behind.

Even though the Packers left him for a reason, Savage may feel a bit of regret over having a rocky season with a team trending in the wrong direction.

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