It was Cody Ford getting the call for the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6 after Orlando Brown Jr. left the eventual win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Ford, a new arrival this offseason via free agency, has past experience at guard and tackle, with it initially reported that the Bengals brought him on to play right tackle.
But Zac Taylor and Co. had Ford at left tackle last Sunday in an emergency scenario.
“He stepped in there at left tackle and performed well. He did a good job in the run game, did a good job in the protections, so I was pleased with what Cody did,” Taylor said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “There were (preseason and practice) situations we put him in. He had played a lot of guard, but also at tackle he had gotten reps and we felt comfortable as the preseason had unfolded. They mix those reps around in practice. Frank does a good job of that to where it felt like he would be the first guy in at tackle there.”
It was pretty telling even before kickoff that D’Ante Smith, not Ford, was one of the inactives. And while the left side of the offensive line, including Cordell Volson, had some problems, this is a pretty big endorsement for Ford.
Joe Burrow’s line should get Brown back after the bye week at least, with Brown himself personally updating his status recently.
