Dylan Fairchild

Cody Ford In Lead For Bengals Starting Job; Dylan Fairchild Entrenched At LG

Defense understandably became the primary Bengals offseason focus, given the events of 2024, but the team will almost definitely have a rookie starting on offense. Despite not being drafted until No. 81 overall, Dylan Fairchild appears a safe bet to begin his rookie season as a starter.

The Bengals have Fairchild ready to take over at left guard, The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. notes. Rather than cross-training Fairchild at both guard spots, OC Dan Pitcher said (via SI.com’s Jay Morrison) the team is only having him work at the LG spot. That development has not yet hit a snag, and Fairchild is readying to replace Cordell Volson as the Bengals’ primary starter there.

Touted as a competition between Volson and Fairchild, Cincinnati’s LG situation now looks settled. Fairchild will make the common SEC-to-NFL jump, coming from Georgia. Fairchild started for the Bulldogs over the previous two seasons, earning second-team All-America acclaim for his 2024 performance. Although veteran options exist in Cincinnati, the team’s plan appears clear.

A 2022 fourth-round pick, Volson had been the Bengals’ primary LG from 2022-24. He started 48 games in that span but was benched in December of last year. The Bengals then reduced his contract-year salary this offseason, adding $500K guaranteed in that compromise, putting the North Dakota State product on the roster bubble.

With Fairchild the likely Week 1 Cincy LG starter, the team will turn to a veteran at the other guard spot. While the Bengals signed Lucas Patrick this offseason, ESPN.com’s Ben Baby notes Cody Ford is the clubhouse leader to take over there. Ford can be classified as having the inside track, per Baby, especially as Patrick has missed recent practices with an injury. The Bengals gave Patrick a one-year, $2.1MM deal but only guaranteed him $200K. Ford re-signed on a two-year, $6MM contract that came with $1MM guaranteed.

Both deals featured the team protecting itself, but Ford is now in his third year in Zac Taylor‘s system. After making one start in 2023, the former Bills second-round pick made nine last season. Ford, though, spent most of his 2024 time filling in for Orlando Brown Jr. at left tackle. He played 431 snaps there, logging zero at right guard. Ford did line up at LG on 152 plays last year. Patrick has vacillated between center and guard during his career. After a two-year run as the Bears’ primary snapper ended, he caught on with the Saints and worked as their primary LG, logging 474 snaps there last season.

Overall, the Bengals are counting on lower-level investments to bail them out at guard — after the team released three-year RG Alex Cappa this offseason — and Dehner adds neither Ford nor Patrick looked great during the team’s preseason opener Thursday. This is obviously not a great juncture to bring in a veteran, and a July offering pointed to the Bengals standing down here. That said, Brandon Scherff, Dalton Risner, Cody Whitehair and Mark Glowinski are available. The Cardinals and Steelers, respectively, took Will Hernandez and Andrus Peat off the market Thursday. The waiver wire figures to also be a place to monitor for Cincy here.

Ford has yet to hold a starting job for a lengthy period as a pro, being traded out of Buffalo and not being retained by Arizona as a 2023 free agent. Ford has made 42 career starts, however. Barring an outside addition, it appears the Oklahoma alum will add to that total soon.

Bengals Not Expected To Add More Guard Depth

The Bengals have added depth to both guard positions this offseason, opening the door for position battles on both sides of the offensive line. While a handful of notable veteran guards remain unsigned, it sounds like Cincy is currently content rolling with their current options at the position. As Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes, it’s unlikely the Bengals make any additions as they evaluate their options at the guard position.

On the flip side, Dehner opines that the front office should at least be considering adding another body to the fray, even if that acquisition would face an uphill battle for a starting spot. The writer points to a handful of veterans who remain unsigned, including Brandon Scherff, Dalton Risner, and Will Hernandez.

On the right side of the line, Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick were clearly battling it out for reps during OTAs. Ford is the holdover, and the veteran actually garnered nine starts for the Bengals in 2024 (his highest total since his rookie season with the Bills in 2019). Pro Football Focus has never been particularly fond of Ford’s performance, and while the Bengals signed the veteran to a two-year extension this offseason, they’re clearly setting the stage for a position battle.

That’s because the team brought in Patrick on a one-year deal. Patrick has continued to start during his post-Packers career, including stops with the Bears and Saints. PFF graded him 37th among 77 qualifying guards in 2024, when he started 10 of his 11 appearances for New Orleans. His season ended early thanks to a knee injury.

Cordell Volson has been the team’s starting left guard for the past three years, as the 2022 fourth-round pick has started 48 of his 50 appearances since joining the organization. Unfortunately, he hasn’t truly impressed, and following a 2024 campaign where he allowed 43 pressures in 984 offensive snaps, the team is considering some alternatives.

That competition would come via Dylan Fairchild, who the Bengals just selected in the third round of this year’s draft. The Georgia product brings a winning pedigree to Cincinnati, and at six-foot-five and 318 pounds, he brings the necessary size to the position. The Bengals clearly haven’t been afraid of starting late-round lineman in the past, and Fairchild could end up replacing a former example at left guard.

Both guard positions will be competitions to watch heading into training camp. If the Bengals don’t like what they see, then perhaps they reconsider pursuing a free agent option.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/9/25

We saw a busy day of 2025 NFL Draft pick signings today. Here are the mid- to late-round picks who inked their four-year rookie deals:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders