Poona Ford, a free agency defensive tackle, is expected to sign with the Los Angeles Chargers after spending one relatively uneventful season with the Buffalo Bills. The news was first reported by Aaron Wilson, who said that the agreement is just for a year according to league sources.
Ford, a 28-year-old defensive tackle hoping to establish himself, was probably drawn to the Chargers because, as Wilson notes, Ford should provide a “(o)utstanding situation as far as playing time and chance to hit market next year as ascending player.”
Late in March of last year, Poona Ford’s name was brought to the notice of the Bills Mafia as someone the team was considering. That interest in Ford intensified after the 2023 NFL Draft and led to his eventual signing in early May.
At first, there was a lot of enthusiasm about the prospect of Ford joining Buffalo’s defense because of his unusual size for a defensive tackle (5’11”, 310 pounds), which is comparable to a Cortina with a lead load.
However, that never happened. Early in the season, Ford reportedly had trouble seeing the field, which upset him as the game went on. Ford appeared in 98 games as a spot player and recorded nine tackles (five solo), one tackle for loss, three quarterback hits, and one sack.
AD (Pro Football Reference statistics)
Considering that Ford played a more significant position along the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive line throughout the first five seasons of his NFL career, it’s safe to say he didn’t get what he bargained for when he signed with the Buffalo Bills.
Since DaQuan Jones and Ed Oliver are ranked ahead of Ford in the depth chart, it was actually always going to be difficult for him to get more snaps. However, Ford didn’t seem to be able to play the kind of influence that his role demanded when Jones was down for the majority of the regular season.
Perhaps a new beginning with the Chargers will be the spark that Ford needs to get his engine going.
