Packers have depth at linebacker with re-signing of Jones

The Green Bay Packers didn’t go big in free agency and that is a surprise to absolutely no one.

But they did keep their inside linebackers in place and that was a priority.

Brad Jones re-signed with the club on Thursday after drawing interest elsewhere. The club already re-signed Robert Francois on a one-year deal and successfully got A.J. Hawk to accept a steep reduction in salary, thus keeping the bunch together.

Specific terms of Jones’ deal are not known but one league source told the NFP that Jones had an offer in place that averaged $3.7 million per season. We’ll see if that is in the ballpark when the contract parameters leak out.

Jones filled in last season and performed well with 77 tackles, two sacks and four pass breakups. Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel anticipates there will be a wide open competition for starting roles once training camp arrives. Desmond Bishop and D.J. Smith will also be in the mix coming off injuries.

Jones, 25, also visited the Tennessee Titans.

Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs

Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune