Prior to the regular season, the Cincinnati Bengals had to make some tough roster decisions.
Among the more notable decisions the Bengals made was to move on from veteran backup offensive lineman Cody Ford. Ford, who appeared in 50 games and started 10 games for Cincinnati, was released before the final day of cuts as it was evident that the team was going to move forward with a different swing tackle in 2026.
Now, an AFC contender has shown interest in the recently released Bengals player.
Buffalo Bills Show Interest in Former Cincinnati Bengals Lineman
Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Cody Ford received a workout with the Buffalo Bills days before the team’s Week 1 opener. Ford was originally drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and played 38 games for Buffalo.
Throughout his Bengals tenure, Ford served as a solid depth piece and offered flexibility as he played as both a guard and a tackle.
Regarding Cincinnati’s decision to release him, ESPN’s Ben Baby wrote: “He started training camp as a potential swing tackle option behind starters Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims.
However, Javon Foster and Jalen Rivers have taken the reps with the second-string offense recently, including in last Saturday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
Taylor praised the way Ford played different positions on the offensive line, sometimes on short notice and with limited practice reps.”
If Ford does get signed by the Buffalo Bills, he would be joining a team with Super Bowl aspirations and an already potent offensive line. Pro Football Focus ranked Buffalo’s offensive line the sixth-best in the NFL.
The Bills may decide to wait until Week 2 to sign Ford as signing him before Week 1 would result in the veteran having his contract guaranteed for the season. If a team waits until Week 2, veterans are only entitled to a 25% guarantee of their full-season salary if they are later released, or they are paid on a week-to-week basis. Ford has totaled over $14 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac.
Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line
Unlike the Buffalo Bills, the Cincinnati Bengals do not appear to have an upper-echelon offensive line. While the team is finally showing consistency on the offensive line, they were ranked 20th by Pro Football Focus.
PFF’s Gordon McGuinness wrote: “The Bengals’ offensive line was not a back-breakingly awful unit in the second half of the 2025 season. That was thanks to the emergence of rookie Dylan Fairchild at left guard and second-year right tackle Amarius Mims. Mims in particular took a huge stride forward in the second half of the year, compiling just one game with a PFF grade below 70.0 from Week 12 onward.”
While Brown Jr. did not perform well in his lone preseason action, there is some confidence that Cincinnati’s offensive line can perform better than expected. The team is returning all five starting offensive linemen from last season, which is a first for Cincinnati since Joe Burrow’s been the quarterback. Now, all that’s left to figure out in Week 1 is who the new swing tackle that replaces Cody Ford will be.
AFC Contender Shows Interest in Ex-Bengals $14 Million Starter