For offensive lineman Cody Ford, the Buffalo Bills just weren't meant to be.
The former second-round pick was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday in exchange for a 2023 fifth-rounder, and it's safe to say this isn't the outcome Bills general manager Brandon Beane was hoping for.
"When you draft a player you want to draft, develop, resign them so from that standpoint that's disappointing for me and I've got to go back and look at our process ... where that didn't work out," Beane said.
Despite a promising rookie season during which Beane said Ford had "done a good job," the move to guard was eventually the beginning of the end in Buffalo.
"Cody battled through that year and he played through some injuries and really did a good job," Beane said. "And then through some other injuries we did make the move to guard and for whatever reason, whether it was putting on more weight, whether it was doing things that just ... didn't transition as we thought or I'm sure he thought."
The writing was on the wall this summer as Ford trained with the second-stringers throughout camp, prompting calls from teams about his availability. Combine that with Ford's desire to start and it was time to move on.
"Cody really wants to start and felt that's what he deserved and for us, versatility is very important," Beane said. "As we pare this down, it just ultimately made the most sense for the Bills and for Cody. A team made an aggressive enough move that I thought it made sense to, at this point, add a pick that hopefully, we do a good job with next April.
"There were multiple teams in the last three days that did call about him, but I would say Arizona was the most aggressive."
Looking back, questions will inevitably be asked about what the Bills could have done differently to aid Ford's development. But when addressing this, Beane pointed to the expectations levied on young players.
"We, in our world, we put a lot of expectations on rookies and they all develop at different times, just like each of us do in our own jobs," Beane said.
"You've got to remember these are humans we're drafting. It's not Madden where you got a 90 rating, and every time you turn on the game he's going to play to the 90 level, and everything's good at home, everything's good health-wise."
Regardless of what could, or perhaps should have been, Ford is now with the Cardinals and Beane is ready to move forward.
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