The process that Buffalo Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane is trying to build involves protecting the team’s franchise guy in Josh Allen. The 2018 Bills offensive line was a mess. The following offseason, the Bills went and acquired immediate offensive line help to help secure Allen and one of those big boys was Oklahoma guard Cody Ford.
The Bills traded up in the second round in 2019 to acquire Ford. While he struggled at times against the pass rush, Ford showed off his abilities to be a mauler in the run game. Pending a dramatic change in training camp, Ford should be the starting right guard for a second consecutive year and he will definitely be tested once again.
Ford will have to find a way to protect Allen against ferocious edge rushers, including San Francisco’s Nick Bosa. While both players enter their second year in their careers, Bosa has proven to be a force and a nightmare for offenses’. Ford was inconsistent in 2019, but made steps forward at various times.
What Bosa Brings
The number two overall pick from 2019 shined in his rookie season with the 49ers. He recorded nine sacks, two pass deflections, a forced fumble and an interception. Let’s not forget that he finished 2019 with 25 quarterback hits. Just like his brother Joey, Nick has an excellent first step into getting out of a block. We have seen Bosa literally toss players around to make a play.
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His power that he possesses can be overwhelming for an offensive lineman and he’ll for sure make life harder for Ford. He will arguably be the biggest challenge for the second year tackle.
What Ford Brings
Even with inconsistency as a pass rusher, Ford still shows his dominance as a run blocker. There is a strong argument that can be made about how Ford is more of a guard than he is a tackle, but it seems like Brian Daboll wants to keep the same line from last season. Even as an offense tackle, Ford performs well on runs to the outside and produces at blocking out the edge on an inside run.
In order to keep his job secured, Ford has to step up in year two. Even though the Bills are a run-first offense, they severely upgraded their passing game, meaning that they will be passing more than they have been.
Matchup Preview
Both sophomores will face each for the first time since being drafted and it will be a huge test for Ford. While he is a work in progress, Ford showed signs to be a consistent blocker for the Bills. He will not have to face Bosa until Week 13, but that is crunch time for a playoff-fighting teams. Bosa poses as a giant challenge to Ford, especially against the pass. If Ford falls one step behind Bosa, he’ll get beat every single time just because of the quickness.
Although, I will give the advantage to Ford when the Bills pound the rock. Bosa is more of a pressuring edge rusher rather than a run stopper. This will not be a pretty matchup for Ford, so he will need to make sure he plays almost perfectly to keep Bosa off of Allen.
