Falcons sign CB Mike Ford to one-year deal

The Atlanta Falcons have a had a busy week in free agency, signing possible starters like LB Rashaan Evans and OT Germain Ifedi. The week isn’t over yet, however, as the team has made another move—this time in the secondary. Atlanta signed cornerback Mike Ford to a one-year deal, per the team.

Ford was most recently with the Denver Broncos for the 2021 season, appearing in 13 games with 6 total tackles. Most of his contributions last season came on special teams, as Ford was involved on 77% of special teams snaps compared to just 2% on defense. Prior to Denver, Ford signed with the Detroit Lions as a UDFA following the 2018 NFL Draft and remained with Detroit through the 2020 season. His biggest contributions on defense came in his rookie season, where he started 4 games and played over 300 snaps on the season.

Ford is an excellent athlete (9.72 RAS) with elite explosiveness and good long speed (4.47s 40-yard dash) along with good size (6’0, 196).

Ford joins an exceptionally crowded cornerback room—particularly towards the back of the depth chart—as the Falcons already had 10 corners under contract prior to Ford’s signing. Atlanta is clearly making the position a point of emphasis with the signing of Casey Hayward and re-signing of Isaiah Oliver to man the starting positions across from A.J. Terrell along with a multitude of depth and camp signings.

Ford figures to compete for a depth and special teams role at the back end of the cornerback depth chart and could be an early favorite for the practice squad. He’ll have a lot of competition, but he’s easily one of the most experienced special teams options on the roster now. With the Falcons only likely to keep 6 CBs on the active roster, he’ll have to beat out at least one of Avery Williams or Kendall Sheffield for that final spot.

Here’s what Atlanta’s CB depth chart looks like—approximately—after Ford’s addition:

A.J. Terrell
Casey Hayward
Isaiah Oliver
Darren Hall
Avery Williams
Kendall Sheffield
Corey Ballentine
Cornell Armstrong
Lafayette Pitts
Mike Ford

Join us in welcoming Mike Ford to Atlanta.