The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock to make a decision about their swing-tackle position after cutting offensive lineman Cody Ford.
The team officials confirmed they cut Ford Aug. 24. Bengals
head coach Zac Taylor didn't rule out any remedies to solving a glaring need at the position, which became evident throughout training camp but seemed to come to a head in the Aug. 22 preseason game against the Chicago Bears.The starting offensive line group is set. The team, however, is short on offensive line depth and they'll need it. Taylor said the competition, which primarily centers around Jalen Rivers and Javon Foster, can carry on past the Aug. 30 deadline for roster cuts.
After the Aug. 24 practice, that meant just four practices and the preseason
finale Aug. 28 against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field remained for the Bengals to determine if the answer to its swing-tackle needs was already inside Paycor Stadium.
"You're looking for consistency. Who just wants to take the job and run with it? And we can't do without," Taylor said. "And I think when those players show that and they grab the job, and it's not necessarily difficult to make it. We still have time on our hands, still waiting to see someone grab one of those jobs and take them."
Not surprisingly, a lot of Aug. 24 training camp observations centered around the freshly stoked swing-tackle battle.
Here's what we saw of it, along with other takeaways:
Inside the Jalen Rivers vs. Javon Foster battle
While the Bengals' solution at swing tackle could eventually come from outside the organization, the in-house candidates for swing tackle played on the second-team offensive line Aug. 24, blocking for veteran backup Joe Flacco. We'll probably see more of the same in upcoming practices on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26 ahead of the preseason finale Aug. 28 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
This competition is between Rivers, 23, a Bengals' fifth-round 2025 NFL Draft pick out of Miami (Florida), and Foster, a 26-year-old Missouri product and a fourth-round Jacksonville Jaguars' 2024 draft pick.
In 2025, Rivers started seven games for Cincinnati while Foster was on the Bengals' practice squad after Jacksonville waived him following their training camp.
"It's exciting. I get to go out and play football, the sport I love. If it's going from left guard or left tackle to right tackle, hey, so be it," Rivers said. "They drafted me to be versatile, so I gotta show that."
As a Bengals draft pick with starting experience, Rivers might appear to have a leg up in the competition, and maybe he does. However, Foster has quick feet, and the fact that he's still hanging around isn't an accident.
"I feel like coming from the practice squad, improving a lot in the pass game because we all know that this team is kind of a pass-heavy team," Foster said. "Tighten up my screws in the pass game and just learn as much as I can."
Bengals personnel odds and ends
Bengals third-round 2026 NFL Draft selection, Tacario "Bobo" Davis, was running with the first-team during at least a portion of the team period on Aug. 24. That followed his showing against the Bears in which he was tied for the game's second-leading tackles (seven tackles, five solo, one tackle for loss).
Davis' time with the ones came as Bryan Cook returned to practice but didn't participate in that team period.
On the other side of the ball, receiver Dohnte Meyers made good use of his limited time with the first team, creating some space on a hitch route and hauling in a Joe Burrow pass to beat Davis one-on-one. It was only a moment during a practice session that ran a little long, but it felt like more evidence that Meyers is in a good spot at this late stage in camp.
Play of the Day | Ja'Marr Chase's revenge
Ja'Marr Chase provided the Aug. 24 play of the day on the back end of a two-play sequence. On the first play, a pass intended for him landed incomplete after DJ Turner II ‒ who was very impressive during the practice ‒ broke up the play. Demetrius Knight Jr. made it clear he enjoyed watching that.
As an expected retort, Chase lined up against Turner on the very next play and reasserted himself.
This was an entertaining sequence during Bengals camp today. Ja’Marr on back to back plays. pic.twitter.com/hGCMay6BtL
— Pat Brennan (@PBrennanENQ) August 24, 2026
Chase juked in the end zone to create separation and made the catch, plus getting two feet down in the back corner, look too easy.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What we saw during Bengals camp as the swing-tackle battle heats up
