Cody Ford has always maintained that he has no preference when it comes to where he lines up on the offensive line.
“Nah,” Ford said. “I just want to win and play ball.”
Fortunately enough, both of those have come true for Ford. The Bills are off to one of their hottest starts in franchise history, with the offense producing at a record-setting pace. And Ford appears to have finally found a permanent home at left guard.
The decision has been a long time coming. At Oklahoma, Ford excelled at both left guard and right tackle. That prompted the Bills to select Ford 38th overall last year. With questions surrounding his ideal position at the NFL level, the Bills made the unusual move to use both Ford and veteran Ty Nsekhe at right tackle, often rotating by the series.
Ford expected to stay at right tackle upon returning to Buffalo for his second season, but instead found himself at left guard to open training camp. After starting right guard Jon Feliciano suffered a serious pectoral injury, the Bills used the remainder of the preseason and the first few weeks of the season to tinker with their lineup in an effort to find their best five. Ford was always expected to be in the mix — it was just a matter of where. Ford started Week 1 at right guard, before switching to left guard in Week 3.
After Brian Winters, now at right guard, suffered an injury in Buffalo’s Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, the Bills decided to keep Ford at left guard instead of moving him back to the right side. It now looks like that’s where he’s going to stay for good.
This story is from the November 01, 2020 edition of Bills Digest.
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This story is from the November 01, 2020 edition of Bills Digest.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
TRACKING TRAINING CAMP
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1st & Ten with STEFON DIGGS
Stefon Diggs had one of the best seasons ever by a Bills receiver in 2020, and he’s looking for an encore. Diggs was clearly amped up and ready to go as the Bills began their preparations for the new season, leading the huddle and supporting his teammates as they kicked off training camp in Orchard Park. Diggs recently touched on his goals for the upcoming season for both himself and the team in an informative discussion with members of the media. Here are the highlights from that discussion.
RUNNING BACKS: TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
Aaron Jones, Packers 5-9 • 208 pounds • 27 years old A fifth-round steal in the 2017 draft out of UTEP, Jones is equally proficient in the running and passing games. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards the last two years, and caught 49 and 47 passes, respectively. He’s also a touchdown machine with 30 TDs the last two years (25 rushing and 5 receiving). The son of two career Army officers, he’s a tough, driven player and the kind of guy players want on their team.
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QUARTERBACKS: TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
Dak Prescott, Cowboys 6-2 • 235 pounds • 27 years old A solid starter who has a nice TD-INT ratio over his first five seasons (104-40), Prescott is an accurate thrower and very mobile. However, he’s coming off a compound fracture and dislocation of his right ankle, so it remains to be seen if this will impact his game moving forward.
TIGHT ENDS: TOP AVAILABLE FREE AGENTS
Hunter Henry, Chargers 6-5 • 250 pounds • 29 years old A very talented player, Henry has had issues staying healthy, unable to complete an NFL season, including missing the entire 2018 season with a torn ACL. But when healthy, he’s a terrific all-around tight end who really connected with Justin Herbert in 2020 with 60 catches. Henry is very good at finding holes in zone coverage.
