Overview
- The Bengals announced they released offensive lineman Cody Ford on Monday, Aug. 24, ending his three-season run that included 50 regular-season appearances for Cincinnati.
- Ford struggled in 2026 training camp and preseason with uneven play and notable pass-protection lapses that included allowing a sack and drawing a false start in the most recent preseason game.
- The move leaves a clear swing-tackle vacancy behind starters Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims and hands backup reps to in-house candidates such as Jalen Rivers, Javon Foster, Andrew Coker, and Christian Jones.
- Cincinnati will take a modest cap hit from Ford’s $500,000 guaranteed signing bonus but is expected to save roughly $1.3 million overall and coach Zac Taylor said the release was meant to help Ford find a new team quickly.
- With teams required to cut rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. Sunday, the Bengals say they prefer an internal solution but remain open to signing or trading for a low-cost veteran late in camp as they finalize depth.