ESPN grades the Bengals' signing of offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr
The Cincinnati Bengals made massive addition to their roster on Wednesday evening
The Cincinnati Bengals made a big (figuratively and literally) addition to their offensive line on Wednesday evening.
According to multiple reports, the Bengals signed offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr, one of the top remaining free agents, to a four-year deal worth $64 million.
Brown will play left tackle for the Bengals, his preferred position. That means former first-round draft pick Jonah Williams will move to right tackle.
Cincinnati offensive coordinator Brian Callahan previously said that Williams moving to right tackle was unlikely, but Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack said at the NFL draft combine recently that nothing had been decided this offseason about the tackle positions.
Adding Brown significantly upgrades the Bengals' offensive line, which was the team's biggest weakness entering free agency. I'm not going to say the move puts them over the top, but it comes pretty close.
ESPN seemingly agrees as they gave the trade an "A" in their latest free agency grades.
From ESPN: When you look at the contract numbers, keep in mind that this same offseason Jawaan Taylor received $80 million over four years and Mike McGlinchey received $87.5 million over five years. Brown is the best tackle of the three and the only one who has played left tackle in the NFL. And on a per-year basis, he is being paid the least. An average of $16 million per year for a good 26-year-old left tackle is plenty palatable. Brown's 92% pass block win rate at tackle ranked 18th out of 64 tackles — McGlinchey was 32nd and Taylor was 37th — but he also did it with double-team help just 27% of the time, the fourth-lowest rate. His run block win rate was average (significantly worse than McGlinchey, but significantly better than Taylor)
The Bengals are sending a message with this deal (which included guaranteed money past the first year of the contract, a departure from how Cincy normally operates) — it's Super Bowl or bust for Cincinnati in 2023. They're leaving no stone unturned in their quest for a Lombardi Trophy.
