Third-year defensive back Josh Jones tweeted that the Green Bay Packers informed him he will be released on Sunday, ending a drama-filled offseason between the player and team.
Jones, a second-round pick of the Packers in 2017, skipped voluntary OTAs in June while attempting to force a trade out of Green Bay. He returned for mandatory minicamp but sat out with a hamstring injury, and he’s missed a big chunk of training camp – and all three preseason games – with a mysterious and unspecified combination of injury and illness.
Jones was unhappy with his playing time last season and became even more unhappy when the Packers signed veteran Adrian Amos and drafted Darnell Savage in the first round this offseason.
For the entirity of the offseason workout program and training camp, Jones was a backup player on Mike Pettine’s defense. He even lost his hybird linebacker-safety role to Raven Greene, who is now locked in as the team’s third safety.
It’s likely the Packers attempted to trade Jones but came up empty.
The Packers will continue their search for a fourth safety without Jones. Ibraheim Campbell, Natrell Jamerson, Will Redmond and Tray Matthews are all in the mix behind Amos, Savage and Greene.
Jones played in 29 games for the Packers over two seasons, tallying 126 tackles, three sacks, seven pass breakups and one interception.
