The Buffalo Bills have their defensive tackle addition as general manager Brandon Beane promised.
The team announced that Poona Ford has signed a one-year contract with the team. Full terms of the deal have yet to be announced.
After the conclusion of the 2023 NFL draft, Beane admitted that he had not addressed every position he had hoped to. The one that stood out to him was defensive tackle, and days later, Ford signs.
In March, the Bills had previously expressed interest in Ford.
Ford, 27, was an undrafted signee of the Seattle Seahawks in 2018. In 76 career games, Ford has made 64 starts. He has notched 181 total tackles in his career, including 28 for loss, with 7.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
Under the watch of coach Sean McDermott, Buffalo has rotated heavily along their defensive front. Currently in their defensive tackle group, the Bills have Ed Oliver, Jordan Phillips, DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle.
Of that group, Jones is best suited to play the space-eating one-tech position. Settle did not perform there as well and when Jones went down with an injury late in 2022.
Ford could provide both rotation and depth in that role.
What Ford does not bring is longevity in term. He’s likely signing a one-year “prove-it” type deal with the Bills. That means Buffalo still lacks any sort of long-term solutions at the tackle position.
Ford joins the likes of all four others previously mentioned, Oliver, Jones, Phillips and Settle: All five will be free agents at the end of next season.
Between now and next spring, Beane will likely have to re-sign one or two of them to just physically fill out the team’s roster for 2024. Their performances on the field will help make those decisions.
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