The Cincinnati Bengals signed Cody Ford to play right tackle and it turns out it wouldn’t have happened without some notable endorsements.
Two major outgoing Bengals who just signed with other teams told Ford how great Cincinnati was. One was Samaje Perine, who just signed with the Carolina Panthers.
The other was Jessie Bates, who inked the historic deal with the Falcons.
Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com captured Ford’s feeling-out period before signing, which included those named above and a few other former Bengals:
“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.
It’s a testament to the culture Zac Taylor built during his program turnover and the leaders still in the locker room that former Bengals from this offseason and beyond sign off on it when would-be signees reach out.
And indeed, it also says a lot about Perine and Bates, two guys who didn’t want to leave but made tough life choices based on the unruly waters of the open market.
For fans, it’s nice to know the perception of signing with Cincinnati has changed and likely won’t falter for a long time.
