In signing Orlando Brown Jr. to play left tackle, the Cincinnati Bengals have caused a stir-up with the incumbent starter at the position.

Jonah Williams has requested a trade from the Bengals for the same reason the team was able to sign Brown: he wants to play left tackle.

Esteemed NBC Sports' columnist Peter King agrees.

In his early free agency report cards for each NFL team, King listed the Brown signing as the "most surprising" of the week, and touched on the potential fallout with Williams.

"Re: the dissatisfaction of left tackle Jonah Williams, who asked for a trade … Grant it. Take a three for him." – Peter King of NBC Sports

Getting a third-round pick in return for a starting left tackle seems a bit low, but considering all the context that comes with acquiring Williams, it does feel like the right price.

A fifth-year player in 2023, Williams has been a three-year starter at left tackle for Cincinnati. Unfortunately, those three years have been impacted by health. He's coming off a season where he dislocated both kneecaps. 

Injury history may impact whether or not a team will not only want to give away draft assets for Williams, but extend him to a multi-year contract. Agreeing a new deal can ultimately lower Williams' 2023 cap hit of nearly $13 million, which would make him easier to acquire for any salary cap-strapped franchise.

There's also the main demand Williams is making. He wants to stay at left tackle, and it's easy to see why. 

The left tackle market remains more lucrative compared to right tackle. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil recently reset the market with a $25 million per year deal. The highest paid right tackle in the league is Ryan Ramcyzk, who signed a $19.2 million AAV contract back in 2021. 

Such a lag in the right tackle market is inexcusable in today's NFL. Elite edge rushers come off both sides of the defensive line, so offenses need two competent tackles to survive. The whole "blind-side" perception is also very overblown, especially from the Bengals' perspective. They haven't had gotten consistently adequate right tackle play in years, and quarterback Joe Burrow has suffered at times for it. 

But Williams can't control what the league thinks about both positions, he can just react accordingly. He wants to remain where he's been since 2017 at Alabama, which is also where his earnings would be maximized. 

The Bengals can play this out in numerous ways. They can take a fair offer immediately like King suggests, or wait until the NFL Draft to see if teams get more desperate and offer a second-round pick. Negotiations can take place with any interested team in the coming weeks, and if the Draft falls a certain way, a call can be made and both sides can end up satisfied. 

Cincinnati can also hold on to Williams through the offseason and see if there's any interest right before the season begins. They traded another former first-round offensive lineman in Billy Price and got B.J. Hill in return. Replicating something like that would absolutely be in their best interests.

What's completely certain is Williams is either playing right tackle for the Bengals this season, or he'll play left tackle for one of the 31 other clubs. Time will determine which future plays out.