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Cody Ford

AFC North Notes: Garrett, Bengals, Ravens

January 16th, 2025 at 4:46pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Myles Garrett made it clear before the end of the regular season that he has no intention of playing through another rebuild in Cleveland. Crucially, Garrett has asked the Browns for a concrete plan at quarterback after their disastrous 2022 trade for Deshaun Watson crippled the offense for much of the last three seasons. On the latest episode of Hard Knocks: In Season With the AFC North, Garrett revealed that he has discussed the Browns’ future with general manager Andrew Berry, who agreed that changes need to be made. The conversation appears to have warmed Garrett to the team’s direction.

“How are we gonna make the most of all the talent that is here?,” Garrett said. “We’re closer than some may think we are.”

Garrett has somewhat of a point. The Browns’ 3-14 record doesn’t reflect the talent of their roster, but it does represent their rudderless quarterback situation. In 2025, defenders like Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome will be back from injuries, while offensive playmakers like Jerry Jeudy and David Njoku can build on solid 2024 seasons.

Watson, meanwhile, re-tore his Achilles and could miss the entire season. The only Browns quarterback under contract in 2025 is former fifth-rounder Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who is 1-4 as a starter with a career passer rating of 45.2 and completion rate of 52.6%. Bailey Zappe will be easy to retain as a restricted free agent, but he is a marginal upgrade on Thompson-Robinson at best.

The Browns will have to convince Garrett (signed through the 2026 season at $25MM per year) that they have a plan under center moving forward. Otherwise, he could demand a trade to facilitate his way out of Cleveland. Here is the latest from the AFC North:

  • The Browns are facing a pivotal offseason for another longtime player: running back Nick Chubb. Berry made it clear that the team values Chubb and his contributions to the Browns over the seven years, but admitted that his pending free agency was a “challenging situation,” per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. Last offseason, when Chubb was under contract and recovering from his season-ending knee injury, the Browns got him to take a pay cut. Chubb is once again rehabbing an injury – this time a broken foot – but it shouldn’t cost him any of the 2025 season. That will give him more leverage in free agency negotiations, whether that be with the Browns or another team. Though, Chubb’s back-to-back injury-marred seasons will not help the former perennial Pro Bowler.
  • Two of Cleveland’s young defenders are facing uphill battles to be ready by training camp. Berry is expecting a “months-long” recovery for Michael Hall after his right knee injury, which could involve surgery, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. The status of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah remains unclear, but Berry “hopes” he can play in 2025, according to Zac Jackson of The Athletic.
  • Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is continuing to push his team to re-sign Tee Higgins. “You just can’t let him outside of the building,” he said, per ESPN’s Ben Baby. Burrow has repeatedly told the media that he wants Higgins to stay in Cincinnati, sending a clear message to team decision-makers in the process.
  • While the Bengals would have to pony up significant money for Higgins – potentially in the region of $30MM per year – they won’t have to pay at the top of the market to retain offensive lineman Cody Ford. His multi-positional versatility is appreciated by the Bengals’ coaching staff, per The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., but he’s unlikely to command the salary of a starting offensive lineman.
  • Despite a career-high nine sacks in 2023 after signing with the Ravens off the street in September, no other team expressed interest in Kyle Van Noy during the 2024 offseason, per Dan Pompei of The Athletic. He re-signed with the Ravens on a two-year, $9MM deal and played through a fractured orbital socket to rank fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks. Doctors recommended surgery after the Week 1 injury, but Van Noy refused to miss a single game.

Bengals Demote G Cordell Volson

December 1st, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cordell Volson had served as a full-time starter up to this point in his Bengals career. The third-year left guard is no longer a first-team option along the interior, however.

Cincinnati has replaced Volson with Cody Ford at the left guard spot beginning with today’s contest against Pittsburgh. Volson was healthy for each game during the 2022 and ’23 campaigns, logging every offensive snap during that span. He remained a first-team option this year through the team’s first 11 games, but Ford recently had the opportunity to handle left tackle duties in place of Orlando Brown Jr.

Ford’s PFF grades during that stretch left much to be desired, but he did not allow a sack while stepping in at left tackle. Brown is now healthy, leaving the Bengals with the option of returning Ford to backup duties or demoting Volson. The latter path has been taken for the time being as Cincinnati looks to remain productive on offense as part of a playoff push.

Selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, Volson graded out as PFF’s 64th-ranked guard during his rookie campaign. The following season saw a step forward (42nd out of 79 qualifiers), but it certainly left plenty of room for improvement. To date in 2024, Volson sits just 53rd in PFF grade with a 58.4 mark. Ford has not delivered demonstrably better figures over the course of his career – one in which he has seen time at both tackle spots as well as left and right guard – but he will get a look for at least a short-term stretch.

In Volson’s case, this demotion is notable from a financial perspective. The 26-year-old will first be eligible for an extension this offseason, and continuing his run of logging every snap would have have helped his chances of landing a new deal. Instead, his play once he is next on the field will be key in determining his value.

Ford, meanwhile, is a pending free agent since he is playing on his second straight one-year Bengals pact. The former second-rounder is attached to the veteran minimum for his base salary this season, but holding onto a full-time starting spot down the stretch would help his ability to secure a raise in 2025.

Bengals Re-Sign OL Cody Ford

March 9th, 2024 at 10:31am CST by Ben Levine

The Bengals are holding on to one of their top depth offensive linemen. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Bengals have re-signed guard Cody Ford. It’s a one-year deal for the lineman. The Bengals have since announced the move.

The former second-round pick had stops in Buffalo and Arizona before landing with the Bengals last offseason on a one-year, $1MM deal. Ford ended up emerging as the team’s “sixth offensive lineman,” although thanks to the team’s relative health on the OL, that didn’t result in many offensive snaps.

The veteran ended up starting one of his 17 appearances last season, and he lined up at both left tackle and right guard for his new squad. He was limited to only 79 offensive snaps during his first season in Cincinnati after averaging close to 490 offensive snaps per season through his first four years in the NFL.

Ford will likely be eyeing a similar role in 2024, although he should see more playing time assuming the team doesn’t have the same health luck. Jonah Williams‘ impending free agency opens a temporary spot on the depth chart, although it sounds like the Bengals value Ford’s versatility off the bench vs. handing him a starting gig.

Bengals Sign OL Cody Ford

March 16th, 2023 at 5:35pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bengals continue to make additions to their offensive line. The team announced that they’ve signed offensive tackle Cody Ford to a one-year contract.

Ford was a second-round pick by the Bills, but he only lasted three seasons in Buffalo before getting dumped to Arizona. He continued serving in his standard reserve role with the Cardinals in 2022, starting three of his 11 appearances while seeing the field for 350 offensive snaps.

The 26-year-old has spent time at both guard positions and right tackle. Pro Football Focus hasn’t been particularly fond of his performance at any position, but his versatility should still come in handy for Cincinnati. There’s a chance La’el Collins sticks around as a backup lineman, but there’s a better chance the 2022 starter is cut or traded, opening a role for Ford as a top backup.

The Bengals made headlines yesterday when they inked Orlando Brown Jr. to a contract. According to Albert Breer of TheMMQB (via Twitter), the Bengals couldn’t deny the opportunity to acquire an elite blocker at a reasonable price ($16MM). One of Brown’s free agent demands was that he wanted to continue playing left tackle, and it looks like the Bengals will oblige. Per Breer, the team is planning to move 2022 LT starter Jonah Williams to right tackle, and they’ll make a decision on incumbent RT Collins “down the line.”

Cardinals Place WR Marquise Brown On IR, Activate G Cody Ford

October 20th, 2022 at 3:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hopes for a DeAndre Hopkins–Robbie Anderson–Marquise Brown trio will be on hold for a while. The Cardinals moved Brown to IR on Thursday, sidelining the diminutive playmaker for at least four weeks.

Brown received a second opinion on his foot injury Wednesday, and Dr. Robert Anderson confirmed a four- to six-week recovery timetable. Brown will be shut down until close to December. His injury led to the Cardinals making the trade for Anderson, whose Panthers stock cratered after his Week 6 banishment.

The Cardinals are also not wasting much time with Cody Ford. Just two days after the recent trade acquisition returned to practice, the Cards activated him from IR. This marks Arizona’s third injury activation this season. Ford will take the roster spot of Justin Pugh. An ACL tear sent the veteran guard to IR.

Arizona is also promoting Rodrigo Blankenship to its gameday 55-man roster, along with running back Corey Clement. Signed on Tuesday, Blankenship is in position to work as Arizona’s latest Matt Prater fill-in option. Prater has missed the past two games due to a hip injury. Matt Ammendola kicked in his place during that span, but the Cards are making a change here. Arizona has yet to rule out Prater, but the veteran kicker did not practice this week.

Hopkins will make his 2022 debut tonight, after serving a six-game PED suspension. The Cardinals traded for Brown during the draft, but news of Hopkins’ ban broke shortly after. Brown is under contract through 2023, like Anderson, but the former’s status is more assured beyond 2022. Tonight, however, it will be Anderson teaming with Hopkins. That said, ESPN.com’s Ed Werder notes the recently acquired receiver will only have a package of plays (Twitter link). A 10-15% snap share is expected for the former Jets and Panthers wideout.

Pugh’s injury opens the door for Ford, who joins Brown and Kyler Murray as Oklahoma alums chosen in the 2019 draft. Unlike the better-known ex-Sooners, Ford is in a contract year. The Bills shipped the underwhelming guard to the Cardinals for a fifth-round pick.

A 2019 second-rounder, Ford has made 29 career starts. It is not a lock he adds to that total soon, with the Cards having veteran eighth-year vet Max Garcia in the fold opposite Will Hernandez. But Ford provides decent depth for a team that suddenly needs it up front. Ford, who suffered an ankle injury not long after the Cardinals traded for him, joins Billy Price as notable Cardinals O-line depth pieces.

Cardinals Sign K Rodrigo Blankenship, Designate OL Cody Ford For Return

October 18th, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Prater has missed the Cardinals’ past two games. If he is unable to go in Arizona’s short week, the team will roll out a third (fourth if Eno Benjamin‘s emergency kickoffs are counted) kicker this season.

A day after releasing Matt Ammendola from their practice squad, the Cardinals replaced him with Rodrigo Blankenship. Should a promotion to the team’s 55-man gameday roster ensue, this will be Blankenship’s first action since the Colts cut him earlier this season. Prater, who is battling a hip injury, has not practiced this week.

The Colts made Blankenship their full-time Adam Vinatieri successor in 2020, but a 2021 injury and a rough start to this season changed the organization’s plans. The 2019 Lou Groza award winner while at Georgia, who played one game with the Colts this season, worked out for the Cardinals earlier this month. But the team signed Ammendola, using the brief Chief as its Prater fill-in. Ammendola, who has been with three teams since August, is now out to make room for Blankenship.

In addition to missing a game-tying field goal try against the Eagles, Ammendola missed an extra point against the Seahawks on Sunday. Blankenship missed an overtime field goal in the Colts’ season-opening tie and sent two kickoffs out of bounds in that game. The Colts’ primary kickoff man, punter Rigoberto Sanchez, being on IR forced Blankenship into the kickoff role for that contest. During his full season with the Colts in 2020, Blankenship went 32 of 37 on field goals and 43 of 45 on PATs.

Additionally, the Cardinals designated guard Cody Ford for return. The fourth-year blocker has not yet debuted for his new team, having suffered an ankle injury not long after the Cards acquired him from the Bills. Ford can be activated before this week’s game, but Arizona has three weeks from today to make that transaction. If Ford is not activated in that span, he reverts to season-ending IR. The Cardinals have used two of their eight allotted injury activations thus far.

Cardinals Waive WR Andy Isabella, Sign C Billy Price Off Raiders’ Practice Squad

October 4th, 2022 at 3:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

Months after shopping Andy Isabella in trades, the Cardinals are cutting bait. The team waived the former second-round pick Tuesday, doing so to make room on the roster for Billy Price.

The Cardinals are signing Price off the Raiders’ practice squad. The team hosted the veteran center as a free agent in May, when it was not known if Rodney Hudson would be back, but Price found his way to Las Vegas. He will move to the NFL’s other desert team this week.

Isabella never came too close to justifying the Cards’ draft investment. The former No. 62 overall pick has played in three Arizona games this season, catching two passes for 21 yards. Despite DeAndre Hopkins‘ suspension and the injuries to Rondale Moore and A.J. Green, the Cards did not turn to Isabella as a steady contributor. He will be available on the waiver wire.

A standout at Division I-FCS UMass, Isabella arrived in Arizona months after Kliff Kingsbury did. The 5-foot-9 slot receiver topped out at 224 yards and two touchdowns — on 21 receptions — in 2020. Isabella, who caught nine passes in 15 games as a rookie, was one of three receivers the Cards chose in that 2019 draft. The other two, fourth-rounder Hakeem Butler and sixth-rounder KeeSean Johnson, are out of the league. This came during a rich receiver draft, which saw D.K. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin and Diontae Johnson chosen after Isabella went off the board on Day 2. The Cards shopped Isabella before free agency and then during the draft but found no takers.

Arizona drafted the 5-7 Moore in the 2021 second round and used their 2022 first-round pick in the Marquise Brown trade. Greg Dortch, who also goes 5-7, became Moore’s primary replacement to start this season. It will be interesting if another team takes a flier on Isabella, whose rookie deal expires at season’s end.

The Bengals drafted Price in the 2018 first round but benched him in his second season. Cincinnati traded Price to the Giants for defensive tackle B.J. Hill last year. Price did not see any action for the Raiders. Hudson is battling a knee injury, though he has not missed any time yet, while Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com adds guard Justin Pugh is also dealing with an injury situation.

The Cards traded for guard Cody Ford before the season, but a subsequent injury led the ex-Bill to IR. Kingsbury said (via Urban) Ford will not return to practice when first eligible this week; the former second-round pick is at least a couple weeks away from his practice window opening. Price will soon move into position as an interior backup in Arizona, his fourth NFL team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/10/22

September 10th, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league, as teams prepare for the first Sunday slate of regular season games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

The Cardinals’ moves come as a reaction to yesterday’s injury news. Baccellia’s roster spot was opened up in the short-term by the injury to Rondale Moore, but he won’t simply be a stop-gap. Arizona signed the 25-year-old to a two-year deal to remain on the main roster, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (Twitter link). A UDFA out of Washington, Baccellia has yet to make a regular season NFL appearance.

Likewise, the fact that Ford will miss at least the first four weeks of the season makes the re-acquisition of Garcia a logical one. The former fourth-rounder has plenty of guard experience, including his three seasons spent in Arizona. It was only in 2021 that he logged any starts, but he could provide veteran depth behind Justin Pugh at least until Ford is able to return.

Addison, 35, was one of several veteran signings the Texans made this offseason to add depth to their front seven. He had a productive season with the Bills last season, notching seven sacks despite not starting any games. In his absence, Harris and Pierre-Louis will provide depth in the edge rush department on Sunday, and likely the short-term future as well.

Quick reminder that standard game day practice squad promotions are a recent development from the new CBA and COVID-19 seasons. Essentially, each team is able to promote two players from the practice squad to the active roster for game days. The players will automatically revert back to the practice squad after the game, not needing to clear waivers before rejoining the developmental roster. A player can only be promoted three times per season. If a team would like to promote a player for a fourth game, they’ll need to go through the normal method of creating space on the 53-man roster to promote them and have them clear waivers before placing them back on the practice squad. That is the difference between “Signed to 53-man roster” from the practice squad and “Promoted from practice squad.”

Cardinals Missing Three Starters For Opener With Chiefs

September 9th, 2022 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Not only will Arizona’s talent be tested early with a Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs, but their depth will be tested, as well, with three starters expected to miss the season opener, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The team’s injury report leading up to the first game of the season shows wide receiver Rondale Moore, right guard Cody Ford, and cornerback Trayvon Mullen‘s game statuses as “out.” 

Moore is a circumstantial starter to begin with, as DeAndre Hopkins starts the season with a six-game suspension. As a rookie last year, Moore was third on the team in receptions (54) and fifth on the team in receiving yards (435), numbers good enough to earn him the starting role during Hopkins’ absence. Unfortunately, though, Moore suffered a hamstring injury in practice yesterday that was described as “serious.” No official announcement has been made regarding an MRI that Moore took to determine the severity of the injury, but, regardless, a Week 1 absence was the very least of what was expected. With Moore out, Andy Isabella and Greg Dortch will get plenty of snaps as the only two healthy receivers remaining on the roster behind starters Marquise Brown and A.J. Green.

Ford is a former second-round pick for the Bills who slowly fell out of favor with the Bills last season and was traded to Arizona in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Ford had started 15 games, alternating time at guard and tackle. He entered 2020 as the team’s starting right guard and switched over to left guard after three games. After 11 weeks of play, Ford suffered a torn meniscus in practice and spent the remainder of the season on injured reserve. He returned as the starter at right guard to start 2021 but, after some early season struggles, was benched and made a few spot starts in backup duty for the remainder of the year. Ford’s regular season debut as a Cardinal will have to wait as an ankle injury will force Arizona to likely start Justin Pugh in his place.

As another offseason trade acquisition, Mullen’s debut in red and white will have to wait, as well. Mullen was reportedly in danger of being waived in Las Vegas and the Cardinals threw the Raiders a line, offering up a seventh-round pick in exchange for the fourth-year cornerback. One desert team’s loss was another desert team’s gain as the Cardinals slotted Mullen in as their starter opposite Marco Wilson. Mullen had returned to practice in August after ending the season with a toe injury and getting offseason surgery, but the injury appears to have lingered. Mullen hasn’t practiced all week and will miss the season opening matchup with his former division rival. In Mullen’s absence, Arizona will rely on Byron Murphy to start opposite Wilson.

Last year saw the Cardinals jump out to an undefeated, 7-0 start before finishing the season on a 4-6 stretch to limp into the playoffs as a wild card team. The undefeated start to the 2022 season was going to be hard enough with a Week 1 matchup against the Chiefs. The absence of three starters will make things just a touch more challenging.

Cardinals Acquire G Cody Ford From Bills

August 22nd, 2022 at 2:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

After three-plus years, the Bills are ending their run with Cody Ford. Buffalo is trading the former second-round pick to Arizona, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Cardinals are sending a fifth-round pick for the Bills offensive lineman. Ford has played tackle and guard as a pro, having been stationed at the latter spot more recently. The Bills have announced the trade. Monday’s transaction will reunite Ford with Kyler Murray and fellow 2019 Oklahoma draftee Marquise Brown.

This move comes not long after a report indicated Ford was on Buffalo’s roster bubble. The former No. 38 overall pick, who enticed the Bills to move up two spots for him three years ago, had struggled to hold a spot in the Bills’ starting lineup. After starting for almost all of his 2019 rookie season, Ford saw his second campaign end early. But the ex-Sooner still started all seven games he played. In 2021, the Bills used Ford as a part-timer. His inability to play tackle as a swing backup affected this deal, per The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia (on Twitter).

This does add a younger blocker to an aging Cardinals offensive line. The team saw two of its interior O-line starters — guard Justin Pugh and center Rodney Hudson — consider retirement this offseason. Pugh is 32, while Hudson and right tackle Kelvin Beachum are 33. While Ford is far from a proven commodity, he is going into his age-26 season. It also marks the second straight offseason in which the Cards have traded a pick for a starter-level O-lineman; they sent the Raiders a third-rounder for Hudson and a seventh last year.

Pro Football Focus has never been impressed by Ford, rating him outside the top 60 at his position in each of his three seasons. Last season, PFF slotted Ford as the fourth-worst guard (among regulars) — a mark that came in one spot behind Cardinals starter Josh Jones. The team used a third-round pick on Jones in 2020 but added four-year Giants starter Will Hernandez — a 2018 second-round pick — this offseason.

Hernandez entered Monday viewed as the team’s right guard starter opposite Pugh, but the team is in need of reinforcements up front. Injuries have sidelined Justin Murray, Danny Isidora and rookie Marquis Hayes. Murray, a Cards regular starter during the 2019 and ’20 seasons, has not returned to regular work after missing most of last season due to injury.

To make room on their 85-man roster, the Cardinals released veteran wide receiver Marcell Ateman. The former Raiders backup signed with the Cards earlier this month.

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