The Packers signed former Dolphins DE Phillip Merling on Wednesday and released TE Cameron Ford and QB Nick Hill.

The Dolphins cut Merling earlier this offseason. A second-round pick in 2008, Merling has played in 46 games with three starts, recording 66 tackles, 3½ sacks, two fumble recoveries, an interception-return touchdown and eight passes defensed.

He has some off-the-field problems, including an arrest for aggravated battery against his pregnant girlfriend in May 2010 — the charges were later dropped — and a torn Achilles tendon suffered in the 2010 offseason that cost him much of the ’10 season.

Ford is a rookie out of Wake Forest and Hill, a first-year player out of Southern Illinois, signed with Green Bay on Jan. 20.