Matthew Bedford injury update: Dan Lanning shares Oregon's plan on waiver status

While Matthew Bedford was one of Oregon’s bigger transfer portal additions this offseason, he’s played only two offensive snaps so far this year.

Another redshirt could be in the cards for the sixth-year senior offensive lineman, who started 39 of the 41 games he previously appeared in at Indiana.

Ducks head coach Dan Lanning was asked Monday about the timeline for determining if Bedford will seek a waiver for an additional year of eligibility, and, if he does, how that would affect both this year’s team and next year’s team.

“Yeah, it’ll be a conversation we have when it’s when it’s worth time having that conversation,” Lanning said Monday.

Bedford, who was expected to open the season as Oregon’s starting right guard, suffered an injury setback between Ducks’ third and fourth games of the young 2024 campaign.

So after Bedford made his debut in the final stages of a win at Oregon State, his timeline to start got murky again.

“He actually got dinged the other day in practice,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said last week, via Oregon Live. “Trying to be aware of where he’s at. If he’s able to help us this week we will [play him], but always will put our players first and see where they’re at in that process.”

A knee injury sidelined Bedford in training camp and forced him to miss the first two games of the season.

The week after the blowout victory in Corvallis, where Bedford recorded his first snaps in a Ducks uniform, Lanning was asked if the veteran transfer would be ready to have a bigger role in Oregon’s offensive line rotation.

“Yeah, I think this week and next week will be a great opportunity for us to see that,” Lanning said back at then, at the time during the Ducks’ early-season off week.

Oregon’s offensive line has started to find its groove the last two games. After giving up seven sacks the first two weeks of the season, during which the Ducks also averaged just 2.96 yards per carry, they haven’t allowed a single sack in back-to-back outings while paving the way for 150-plus rushing yards in wins over Oregon State and UCLA.

Redshirt senior Marcus Harper II, who started 24 games at left guard the last two years, has gotten the nod at right guard each of the last three games.

Oregon is back in Eugene this week, hosting Michigan State Friday night.