Bengals Releasing Veteran Offensive Lineman Entering Final Week of 2026 Preseason

Cincinnati is looking for the right name to be a swing tackle on the roster.

Dec 28, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Cody Ford (61) runs against Arizona Cardinals cornerback Darren Hall (30) and safety Jalen Thompson (34) during the second half at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bengals are moving on from veteran offensive lineman Cody Ford.

"The Bengals are releasing OL Cody Ford, who has played in 50 of 51 regular-season games with the team over three years in Cincinnati," Mike Garafolo posted on X.

Cincinnati has been searching for a semi-reliable swing tackle option to back up Amarius Mims and Orlando Brown Jr. this season, and it's clear Ford won't be that guy now. He played all over the line for Cincinnati since joining the team in 2023, but rarely at a palatable level.

He made 10 starts — five at left tackle, two at left guard, one at right tackle, and two as a tackle-eligible third tight end. His best Bengals highlight came in the Bengals' win over Arizona in Week 16 of the 2025 season, when he caught a pass from QB Joe Burrow for a 21-yard completion.

The veteran was a second-round draft choice of Buffalo in 2019 and spent his first three seasons with the Bills, then played for Arizona in the 2022 season. He has made 42 career NFL starts.

Zac Taylor discussed the backup tackle battle after a rough night for that group in Saturday's preseason win over Chicago.

“Consistency," Taylor said about what he wants to see from that spot. "Just trust that the backup tackle is going to go in and win the game, and we want to keep playing the way that we play. You’ve just got to be able to trust through the game. And so, I think there’s probably a competition there.”

Taylor is ready for more work this week.

“We just need to continue to practice, and I think just as many situations as we can put ourselves in, get our players comfortable with that," Taylor said. "But we’ve gotten good work at this point. Now, we’re going to do some three-day stretches. We’re getting some good work this week, leading into Philly, and then three days leading into a bye, so we’re really looking at nine practices there. Ten practices, really, to get to Tampa Bay. So, that’s the way I think of it. We’ve got 10 real practices to get ourselves ready to go, and that’s really where our focus department turns to."

Cincinnati has not announced an ensuing signing.

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