Every year, hundreds of former college football players sign with NFL teams after the draft finishes, hoping to earn a coveted spot on the final 53-man roster. Newly signed Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens was one of those undrafted free agents in 2018, and five years and plenty of setbacks later, he won't forget where his now blossoming career started.
"I'm undrafted, man. I take that with me everywhere I go," Owens said, via the Packers' team website. "If anyone in the NFL knows, when you say you're undrafted, it's always a respect thing. I went to a Division II school right out of high school. I always carried a chip on my shoulder."
Coming out of Missouri Western State University, Owens signed with the Cardinals initially, but tore his ACL during offseason activities. Though he worked through the rehab, he did not make the final cut for the 2019 squad, and had to make a decision about his future: continue trying for the NFL dream or move on?
The safety decided to give it another shot, and kept training in Arizona until he got a call from the Houston Texans offering a spot on their practice squad. That was the opportunity he needed, and over three years he has gradually worked his way up through the ranks, culminating in playing the full 17-game slate as a starter for the Texans in 2022.
"It was just about being patient and waiting for that opportunity and Houston gave me that opportunity on practice squad," Owens said. "I was overjoyed to have that opportunity … and I'm still here, man, fighting. It was all part of the journey."
After the injury setbacks and practice squad stints, Owens has now signed his next free-agent contract, inking a deal with Green Bay in May.
During the hard times, Owens drew inspiration from his then-girlfriend, now-wife Simone Biles, a seven-time Olympic medalist in gymnastics. The pair met in Houston and married just weeks before Owens signed his new contract.
"She brings the best out of me," Owens said. "Just watching her and how she worked every day going into the Olympics -- her focus and her drive -- it just makes you want to get up and do something because your partner is doing that."
Biles has gone through her own career struggles in recent years, fighting through "the twisties" at the last Olympics and subsequently deciding to step away from the sport. But this week's announcement that she will return to compete in the U.S. Classic in August, setting up a possible road to the 2024 Paris Olympics, means that both halves of the newlywed couple are set to embark on new adventures in their respective sports this fall.
Owens is expected to be in the mix for the Packers' open safety spot held last season by Adrian Amos, now with the Jets, but there's multiple other veteran players Owens will have to outplay to earn the role. There's still work to be done and obstacles to hurdle, but Owens knows just by continuing to take the field, he's fulfilling his greatest dreams.
"I knew it was what I was supposed to do," Owens said. "I'm not going to say I couldn't see myself doing anything else, but I felt this is really what God wanted me to do. I was here to play football and I knew I was good enough to play."
