DT Poona Ford signing with Los Angeles Chargers, per report

Ford’s latest road trip takes him back to the West Coast — this time to Tinseltown

After one mostly quiet season with the Buffalo Bills, free-agent defensive tackle Poona Ford is set to land with the Los Angeles Chargers. Aaron Wilson was the first to report the news — stating the deal is for one year, per league sources.

Wilson mentions Ford’s opportunity with the Chargers should represent an “(o)utstanding situation as far as playing time and chance to hit market next year as ascending player,” which likely appealed to the 28-year-old defensive tackle looking to make a name for himself.

Poona Ford was a name brought to Bills Mafia’s attention late last March as someone the Bills were interested in. Following the 2023 NFL Draft, that interest in Ford gained traction toward his ultimate signing, early in May.

There was a lot of initial excitement about the idea of Ford in Buffalo’s defense, given his unique stature for a defensive tackle (5’11”, 310 pounds) — not unlike a Cortina carrying a load of lead.

But that never materialized. Ford struggled to see the field early in the season — which reportedly frustrated him as the season progressed. In total, Ford made spot appearances in 98 games, making nine tackles (5 solo), one tackle for loss, three quarterback hits, and one sack.

(stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference)

It’s fair to say that Ford didn’t get what he bargained for signing with the Buffalo Bills, after spending the first five seasons of his NFL career playing a more substantial role along the Seattle Seahawks’ defensive line.

In truth, it was always going to be a struggle for Ford to see more snaps with the likes of Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones ahead of him on the depth chart. But when Jones was lost for most of the regular season, Ford appeared unable to make the sort of impact required of his role.

Hopefully a fresh start with the Chargers is just the key Ford needs to ignite his engine.