Jonathan Owens - Pro Football Rumors

DB Notes: Owens, Giants, King, Chargers

July 4th, 2024 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears have become a rather Olympic-friendly organization in recent years. Although Marquise Goodwin did not make the U.S. long jump team three years ago, Bears coaches backed the London Olympian-turned-NFL wideout’s bid to land on the Tokyo squad. A new Bears regime appears equally into the Olympic spirit. Goodwin did not need to miss any training camp time, but one of the Bears’ new signees looks set to receive a few excused absences for Olympics purposes.

Jonathan Owens, a sixth-year safety best known as the husband of gymnastics icon Simone Biles, will be given some time to attend Paris to support his wife. Biles said (via USA Today’s Nancy Armour) the Bears intend to allow the veteran safety “a couple days off” during training camp to watch her compete. Biles, who regularly attended Texans and Packers games to support Owens, is due to compete in her third Games from July 28-August 1. Owens signed a two-year, $3.8MM deal with the Bears this offseason. Although the former Houston and Green Bay cog worked as a starter over the past two seasons, he looks set to operate as a backup behind Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker in his first Chicago season.

Here is the latest from the NFL secondary ranks:

Saquon Barkley‘s departure and Daniel Jones remaining in place as the starting quarterback have been the lead items — perhaps along with Brian Burns‘ arrival — from this Giants offseason. But Joe Schoen also identified cornerback as one of the team’s top needs going into free agency. The third-year GM said during the Hard Knocks: Offseason debut (h/t The Athletic’s Dan Duggan) CB was a front-line need along with wide receiver and the offensive line. The Giants did invest in a corner (Dru Phillips) in Round 3 and added former Jaguars slot defender Tre Herndon in June, but the team is counting on converted slot Cor’Dale Flott to replace Adoree’ Jackson alongside Deonte Banks. Schoen’s recently revealed assessment of the position may be of note as the team finishes assessing its pre-training camp depth chart.
Desmond King cited the Texans‘ emergence into an AFC contender as a key reason he agreed to re-sign this offseason. The team gave King a second chance after he washed out with the Steelers last year. “I’m going on my fourth year in Houston,” King said, via KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. “I’ve done seen the evolution of the team and the organization just being here for those first couple of years and seeing where it’s at now, knowing my capability and what I can bring to the team, why not be here with Houston?” King, who signed a one-year deal worth $1.8MM, has operated primarily as a slot player in Houston. He was with the team during David Culley and Lovie Smith‘s one-and-done seasons, before observing the Texans’ progress under DeMeco Ryans. With Tavierre Thomas now with the Buccaneers, King has a clear path to holding the Texans’ slot role this season.
A number of new faces will be part of the Chargers‘ two-deep this year. After going into last season with J.C. Jackson and Michael Davis in key roles at corner, the Bolts moved on from both. While Kristian Fulton has a path to a starting job, ESPN.com’s Kris Rhim notes another addition — fifth-round rookie Tarheeb Still — made perhaps the biggest impact among the Bolts’ rookies during the offseason program. DC Jesse Minter also offered praise for Still, a Maryland product, and it looks like he has a chance at securing a role alongside the likes of Fulton and Asante Samuel Jr. in Jim Harbaugh‘s first season.

Bears To Sign S Jonathan Owens

March 12th, 2024 at 4:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a season in Green Bay, Jonathan Owens observed the Packers give Xavier McKinney a monster contract. A day later, Owens is committing to join the team’s top rival.

The Bears are bringing in Owens, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. While best known as Simone Biles’ husband, Owens has become a safety regular after starting his career as a special-teamer from the Division II ranks. He has worked as a starter for most of the past two seasons. Owens will sign a two-year deal worth $4.5MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

This contract would suggest the Bears are eyeing Owens for a depth role. Chicago agreed to terms with Kevin Byard recently, and 2022 second-round pick Jaquan Brisker remains in place. Although Owens started 28 games over the past two seasons — with the Texans and Packers — Pro Football Focus has graded him as a lower-end safety. That said, Owens made 125 tackles with the Texans in 2022 and notched a fumble-six with the Packers last year.

Using Owens as a starter in 11 games last season and both their playoff contests, the Packers gave McKinney a four-year, $68MM contract to help shore up the position. McKinney is now tied to the NFL’s third-most lucrative safety deal. The Bears recently shed their high-end safety contract — Eddie Jackson‘s — but will spend a bit extra to acquire an experienced backup.

Biles Soldier Field cameos can probably be expected, as the former Olympic champion made regular Lambeau Field appearances. Even if Owens is destined for a backup role in Chicago, he will make more than he did last season ($1MM). Undrafted out of Missouri Western, the 28-year-old defender has a runway to push his career to the eight-year mark.

Packers Place Darnell Savage, Eric Stokes On IR

October 25th, 2023 at 9:29pm CST by Ely Allen

The Packers announced a flurry of roster moves today to take care of some injury business. Green Bay had to send safety Darnell Savage and cornerback Eric Stokes to injured reserve, requiring the signing of two practice squad defensive backs to come up and fill their place.

Savage, the Packers starting free safety of the past five years, is playing in a contract year after having his fifth-year option picked up. Unfortunately, this last season before hitting the open market will include a stint on IR after the Maryland alum suffered a calf injury, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. With Savage expected to need a month or so to heal, former Houston starter Jonathan Owens will likely take his place in the starting lineup next to Rudy Ford.

Stokes is returning to IR after a heart-breaking four days. The young cornerback out of Georgia missed the back half of last season with an ankle injury then underwent both foot and knee surgeries in the offseason. Not fully healed at the start of this year, Stokes has been on Green Bay’s reserve/PUP list all season, up until four days ago.

Green Bay partially activated Stokes out of necessity in order to ensure he would be able to avoid spending the full season on the PUP list, after being designated to return. After only four special teams snaps in Week 7, though, Stokes will land on IR for a second straight season. The injury sending him back to IR is being designated as a hamstring malady.

The Packers decided to fill the two vacant roster spots by signing practice squad players to the active roster, one of whom came from another team’s practice squad. The team decided to add cornerback Robert Rochell off the Panthers’ practice squad and promote cornerback Corey Ballentine from their own. Cornerback Zyon Gilbert will join the Packers’ practice squad, filling the spot vacated by Ballentine.

With Stokes on IR and Jaire Alexander continuing to battle the injury bug, the focus on cornerbacks is completely understandable. With a three-game upcoming stretch that includes games against the Chargers, Lions, and Chiefs, Green Bay will be working hard to get their secondary right.

Packers Eyeing Starting Role For S Rudy Ford?

May 20th, 2023 at 9:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers are set at the top of their cornerback depth chart heading into 2023, but their situation at the safety position is different. A competition for a starting safety spot will take place through the summer, but an early contender is in place amongst the team’s in-house options.

“I like where our safety room is in terms of the competition right now,” Packers safeties coach Ryan Downard said, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “There’s an opening there, and there’s only one guy in the room who’s played a ton of snaps for us… So it’s full competition when we go on the practice field.”

The player Downard is referring to, of course, is Rudy Ford. The latter joined Green Bay after being released by the Jaguars on the final day of roster cuts in August, leading to tempered expectations in his new home. Ford had started only six games in his career at that point, and had also spent time in Arizona and Philadelphia before his one-year stint in Jacksonville.

The former sixth-rounder played a career-high 442 snaps on defense in 2022, though, making him a key member of Green Bay’s secondary. Ford notched three interceptions and 44 total stops while logging a 43% snap share, which could put him in line for a step forward in playing time this season. Wood notes that Ford is the “top internal candidate” to replace Adrian Amos as a safety starter. The latter remains unsigned, and while a reunion could still be on the table, he has drawn interest from the Ravens as well.

That could leave Green Bay to rely on Ford in a tandem with 2019 first-rounder Darnell Savage, whose play at safety in particular has drawn signficant criticism. Depth at slot corner will bring Savage back to the safety spot, making identifying Amos’ replacement a top priority for the Packers if they are to take a forward step on defense this year.

Wood lists free agent signings Tarvarius Moore and Jonathan Owens as the other top competitors for the spot. Each has considerable experience at the NFL level, but also a track record of heavy usage on special teams rather than defense for much of their careers. It is also in the third phase that most (if not all) of seventh-round rookie Anthony Johnson‘s playing time will come in 2023. Those factors should leave Ford in pole position for a first-team role, though much remains to be determined in the coming months.

Packers Sign S Jonathan Owens

May 12th, 2023 at 12:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Green Bay has made a depth addition on the backend. After four years in Houston, Jonathan Owens has signed a deal with the Packers, reports Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 (Twitter link). The team has since confirmed the move.

Owens originally joined the Cardinals as a UDFA in 2018, but his only regular season appearances to date have come with the Texans. The 27-year-old played all-but exclusively on special teams during his first two seasons in the NFL, but he took on a rotational defensive role in 2021. That was followed by another increase in usage on that side of the ball.

The Missouri Western State alum was a full-time starter in Houston in 2023, logging a defensive snap share of 83%. He converted that spike in playing time into career-highs in tackles (125), pass deflections (four) and sacks (one). Owens struggled in coverage, however, allowing three touchdowns and a passer rating of 128.5 as the closest defender. That led in part to a PFF rating of 48.3, the lowest of his career.

In Green Bay, Owens will look to occupy a depth role at the safety spot. That position has seen the addition of Tarvarius Moore in free agency, but veteran Adrian Amos remains unsigned. The latter is on the radar of the Ravens, though a Packers reunion could still be in the cards. Former first-rounder Darnell Savage, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his contract and faces an uncertain future with the team, so further shuffling at the position could be coming in 2024 as well.

Owens will not be in line for a repeat of his starting duties (at least barring injuries) in Green Bay, but his experience on special teams could make him a regular contributor in his new home. Should the team face availability issues higher up the depth chart, Owens could also step into the first team as he did last season.

Texans Place Two On Injured Reserve

January 3rd, 2022 at 5:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans have placed two players on injured reserve, ruling them out for Sunday’s season finale against the Titans. Per Mark Berman of Fox 26 (on Twitter), the Texans placed safety Jonathan Owens and defensive back Grayland Arnold on IR.

Owens suffered a broken wrist during Sunday’s loss to the 49ers, ending his season prematurely. The former undrafted free agent has spent the past three seasons with the Texans, and he’s taken on more responsibility in 2021, starting a pair of games while filling in for Justin Reid and Eric Murray. In seven total games, the 26-year-old has collected 18 tackles, one pass defended, and one interception in seven games (two starts).

The safety recently talked with Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle about his increased role.

“This year they have been slowly building me up,” Owens said. “I went in for a couple of series one game and I played a big portion of the second half last game. Just building my confidence up slowly and like I said, I’m excited for the challenge.”

Arnold spent his rookie season with the Eagles, and he caught on with the Texans practice squad following the 2021 preseason. The Baylor product has seen time in four games this season, with all but three of his 35 snaps coming on special teams.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/22

January 3rd, 2022 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Promoted: DB Adrian Colbert, G Hjalte Froholdt

Denver Broncos

Promoted: DL Jonathan Harris, WR Seth Williams

Houston Texans

Placed on IR: DB Grayland Arnold, DB Jonathan Owens (story)

Minnesota Vikings

Released: QB Kyle Sloter

New York Jets

Claimed off waivers (from Colts): OT Greg Senat

Pittsburgh Steelers

Promoted: OG Rashaad Coward, RB Trey Edmunds

Tennessee Titans

Placed on IR: TE MyCole Pruitt (story)

Washington Football Team

Promoted: LB De’Jon Harris

Texans Signed Derek Rivers, Jonathan Owens To Multiyear Deals

December 9th, 2021 at 6:12pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans recently signed a pair of practice squad players to their active roster, and according to Aaron Wilson, the two players both received multiyear deals. Both defensive end Derek Rivers and safety Jonathan Owens were signed to deals through the 2022 campaign.

Rivers was a third-round pick by the Patriots back in 2017, and he collected 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks in his three-plus seasons with the team (including a 2019 campaign that was lost due to injury). The defensive lineman was waived during the 2020 campaign, and after finishing that season with the Rams, he caught on with Texans in March. He’s spent most of the season on the practice squad, but he has collected five tackles in three games.

Per Wilson, Rivers’ deal includes a $1MM base salary for 2022, plus a $100K signing bonus, up to $100K in per-game roster bonuses, and a $50K workout bonus. The pseudo-two-year deal is ultimately worth $1.58MM.

Owens caught on with the Cardinals after going undrafted in the 2018 draft, but he’s otherwise spent his professional career with the Texans. The 26-year-old has spent time on and off Houston’s roster since 2019, but he’s gotten into one game with the organization. Per Wilson, Owens’ new deal is worth $1.175MM, including a $10K signing bonus, a $10K workout bonus, and a 2022 base salary of $895K.