Getty The Arizona Cardinals acquired OL Cody Ford in a trade with the Buffalo Bills.
The Arizona Cardinals remain involved in a number of trade discussions. One includes Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith, and one analyst even suggested that Bears OL Teven Jenkins could be headed to the desert.
On Monday, the Cardinals did acquire another offensive lineman, although it wasn’t Jenkins. According to Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus, Buffalo Bills guard Cody Ford is headed to the Cardinals for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick.
Trade: The #Bills have traded G Cody Ford to the #Cardinals in exchange for a 2023 fifth round pick. He reunites with Kyler Murray from their Oklahoma days.
As Meirov pointed out, Ford and Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray played together at Oklahoma before they went separate ways in the NFL.
Now, they reunite, and one clip surfaced on Monday after the trade was announced. This video is right after the Cardinals defeated the Bills on the unbelievable Hail Mary touchdown to DeAndre Hopkins.
Earlier this offseason, the Cardinals acquired Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens, giving Murray his top college target. Now, they bring in Ford in another Sooners’ reunion in Arizona.
Ford’s NFL Career
Ford was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and was expected to be a key piece upfront.
The Bills traded up in the second round on draft day to acquire Ford, so that shows how highly they thought of him. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to get it going so far in the NFL.
He started 15 games for the Bills in his rookie season but took a step back in each of the subsequent two campaigns. In 2020, Ford played in just seven games and suffered a torn meniscus, which put the rest of his season to bed.
In 2021, he played 15 games with seven starts. Ford played guard, but the Bills also had him tackle, and he just wasn’t able to adjust to moving all around on the offensive line.
With the Cardinals being rumored for Jenkins and other offensive line help, it made sense for general manager Steve Keim to take a shot on a former second-round pick — and somebody who has familiarity with Murray.
Ford has been Playing Well This Summer, and This Deal Could be a Steal for Arizona
Just a couple of years ago, Ford was selected in the second round. Now, the Cardinals acquire him for just a fifth-rounder.
So, the talent is evident, and if Ford can fix his game and become a decent player in Arizona, this will be a massive steal for Keim.
After a rough 2021 season, Ford has been drawing plenty of attention during training camp in Buffalo.
After rewatching #DENvsBUF game I noticed a few things:
•Shaq’s IQ in defense stands out.
•AJ Epenesa brought a steady amount of pressure.
•Cody Ford played very well. Credit where it’s due.
•Jaquan Johnson is READY, for the just in case.
•Ed Oliver doing what he does
1/2
Let’s not forget that the Cardinals had their eyes on Ford in 2019 before going in a different direction.
Cody Ford is an Arizona Cardinal.
Wow.
Cardinals had a high grade on the former Sooner back in 2019 but opted for Byron Murphy.
Sometimes a change of scenery does wonders for players, and playing with people you are familiar with is always a good thing. Ford not only knows Murray, but he also knows Brown and head coach Kliff Kingsbury certainly has something in mind after bringing in all of these former Sooners.
Safe to say, the Cardinals and Kliff Kingsbury are banking on guys like Hollywood Brown and Cody Ford adapt better to his more “college friendly” offense.
Brown has been on record saying the learning curve is minimal because of what Kingsbury runs.
It’s Oklahoma 2.0.
The Cardinals might not be done making moves yet, but bringing in a potential starting offensive lineman for a fifth-round draft pick could be a home run for Keim.