Cody Ford’s hold on the Bengals’ swing tackle job looked shakier Saturday night after he struggled in the Bengals’ 27-9 preseason win over the Chicago Bears. Ford started at right guard and came away with a 0.0 from PFF after a difficult night in pass protection.
That matters now because the Bengals are down to preseason Week 2 and the line picture behind their starters is supposed to be getting clearer. Orlando Brown Jr, Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner and Amarius Mims are set as the Bengals’ starting offensive linemen, and the backup plan becomes more important when the first group is not on the field.
Ford has filled that role for the last three years, serving as the Bengals’ swing tackle while also playing every position on the offensive line except center. That kind of flexibility is supposed to keep a team steady when injuries hit. Instead, Saturday night added another performance that did not help his case, especially after the Bengals did not address the offensive line this offseason and have had issues with backup linemen.
There is still no final answer from Zac Taylor. After the game, he said no decision had been made about the swing tackle spot and called the situation “pretty open,” adding that the team is still looking at options. Kelsey Conway discussed the issue with Taylor, but the coach stopped short of saying Ford had kept the job.
That leaves the Bengals with a straightforward question before the regular season starts: whether they trust Ford to remain the first answer behind Orlando Brown Jr and Amarius Mims, or whether Saturday night was the kind of outing that pushes them to search for someone else. For a team that improved to 2-0 in the preseason, the bigger issue may be the one spot that still looks unsettled.
