The Bengals’ starting right guard position can make or break the entire season. Right now, it’s a battle between Cody Ford and free-agent signing Lucas Patrick.
Early in camp, the battle was billed between Cody Ford and Lucas Patrick, who signed with the Bengals on a one-year deal this offseason. But so far, Ford safely has the inside track.
Ford is firmly in the RG1 spot, something that has been strengthened only with Patrick dealing with an injury that kept him out of practice for a couple of days. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said the offensive line has done well in training camp.
Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher gave an update on the battle to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.
“We’re going to continue to evaluate both those guys as training camp goes on and as the preseason goes on,” Pitcher said. “When the time is right for the team, we’ll make a decision and go from there.”
Patrick did battle a calf injury early on in training camp, but he has been back practicing since last weekend and so far this week. He was running with the first team in 11-on-11 Sunday when the offense moved the ball effectively.
Ford has been with the Bengals for three seasons now, so he knows the Bengals’ offense. We will see if Patrick can make a dent in the right guard battle, and he’s listed as the starting right guard for Thursday’s preseason opener at the Philadelphia Eagles.
