Washington Huskies Football: Jonathan Amosa Signed By Green Bay Packers

I missed this one yesterday after the news surfaced that former-Husky free safety Justin Glenn had been signed by the Chiefs, but it’s now clear that fullback Jonathan Amosa, who was a senior during the 2012 season, has been signed to a contract by the Green Bay Packers.

Amosa served primarily as a lead blocker in his time at Washington, rarely catching the ball or receiving carries. He was very solid in this respect, and while it’s always tough to determine how much credit a fullback deserves for the success of his halfback, the fact that Amosa blocked for two different 1,000 rushers, Chris Polk and more recently Bishop Sankey, shouldn’t be ignored.

Sept 3, 2011, Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies fullback Jonathan Amosa (48) makes a reception against the Eastern Washington Eagles during the second half at Husky Stadium. Washington defeated Eastern, 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Along with Glenn, Amosa went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft in April, and it wasn’t really a certainty that he would get an NFL shot. With fullbacks a bit of a (slowly) dying breed in the league, while also being a position that is tough to evaluate when watching games unless there is a dramatic pancake block, I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Amosa’s football career end with the Vegas Bowl loss to Boise State.

Apparently Amosa wasn’t having that. He earned a contract, which clearly indicates that the Packers coaching staff sees pro-level potential in his game. Still, with fan favorite John Kuhn and fellow undrafted free agent Ryan Roberson also on the roster at fullback, it will be a tough fight for Amosa to remain on the roster all the way until September.

If he manages to keep his spot, it will likely be as a 2nd fullback, which would mean serving on the practice squad. Still, for a guy that didn’t get a lot of acclaim as a Husky, collecting a paycheck as a professional player is a victory (and should probably be a victory in anyone’s book), and I hope that this is only the beginning of Amosa’s NFL career. More on both Glenn and Amosa as more news becomes available.