Cody Ford Comes “Full Circle” To Transformed Bengals Offensive Line Competition

A year ago this week in free agency, the Bengals overhauled their offensive line.

This week, as they prepare to welcome four-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown Jr., to Paycor Stadium on Friday to sign his four-year deal, they solidified it.

A day after agreeing with Brown they inked Cody Ford, his college line mate from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor’s hometown of Norman, Okla., after Ford conducted his own interviews with several past Bengals.

While Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow lunched with Brown in New York City Thursday in a bizarre coincidence that was no doubt far from Burrow’s usual recruiting menu of cookies and crackers, Ford found plenty to chew on during his Paycor visit.

Ford knew he found a spot when two who just left in free agency endorsed what Taylor has going on in Cincinnati. Another college teammate, Samaje Perine, as well as Jessie Bates III, who has mutual friends with Ford, gave a thumbs-up on the culture and Ford saw the facilities for himself before signing the deal Thursday.

“They said good things. Respectful things even after they had already parted ways. They definitely gave good reviews,” said Ford, whose 32 NFL starts have come at both tackle and guard in primarily back-up roles.

He didn’t stop there. He checked in with fellow former Bills guard Quinton Spain, a Bengal in 2020-21, as well as Andrew Brown, a Bengal from 2018-20 whom he ran across when they were in Arizona last season. When the reviews matched up with the willingness of the Bengals to give him a shot at his position of choice at right tackle, he had a deal.

Ford called the signing “full circle.” During the run-up to the 2019 draft, he had a “weird feeling for sure,” he could end up in Cincinnati and he was almost right. After taking Jonah Williams with their 11th pick, the Bengals coveted Ford enough that they were prepared to go offensive line again and explored trading up in the second round.

But they couldn’t get the right deal before Ford went to the Bills at No. 38. The…