Mike Ford Jr. has built a career on moments like this one.
As Cleveland prepares to head to Denver and take on the Broncos, who are red hot and currently on a four-game winning streak, the Browns do so without their premier cornerback Denzel Ward, who has been ruled out for the contest with a shoulder injury.
That means more defensive snaps are very likely headed Ford’s way. And for a former undrafted guy, who has made his way in the NFL largely due to special teams contributions, he said he’s made for unexpected moments like this that require a backup to step up.
I’ve always been that guy that has to step in, if anything happens, keep everything calm and be able to be as productive as the first guy,” Ford said on Friday.
In fact, it’s probably the easiest part of his job at this point in his career
“[F]or the simple fact that we’re all professionals, so we all have to prepare every week and we all have a role,” he said. “So for me, my role has always been that next man up on defense, so I have to prepare for that regardless and being the guy on special teams. So I’m going to pride myself on being prepared for that. So it doesn’t change my weekly preparation, it’s just more so a bigger role and I got to accomplish it for my team.
“When a guy comes out there, you kind of just look that guy in his eye and tell him, come on, let’s do what you do.”
The Browns and Ford have been in this position together once before, and Ford did what he does best.
Ford can be moved around a bit in the defense. Against the Ravens 16 snaps came on the outside and 12 in the slot, while the Browns moved Greg Newsome II to the outside.
“We got a standard and it’s next man up,’ Martin Emerson Jr. said. “So if one of us down, it’s the next man up mentality. We don’t expect a drop off just because Denzel is not out there, Greg not out there or if I’m not out there. We got the same goals. We got to get it done, no matter who’s out there.”
This is Ford’s sixth season in the league. In 2018, he signed with the Lions as an undrafted rookie out of Southeast Missouri State. That year, he played in seven games with four starts, making 25 tackles. In 2019, he played in 15 games with two starts, recording 12 tackles, but that season is when he really started to shine on special teams, playing snaps with every unit except the field goal kicking unit.
He spent last season with the Lions before signing a one-year deal with the Browns this year. In Cleveland, he’s provided a key intangible in the CB room, too.
“Energy, energy, energy,” Newsome said. “Mike has been amazing for us. He’s like a coach in the room always. He knows all the time, whatever to do, no matter if he’s playing or not, he always knows and he’s always ready and prepared. So you see at practice, anytime someone’s tired, he’s the first one to run in. So we weren’t surprised that he was able to make a contribution to the room like that because he’s one of the best also in the world with us.”
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