NFL executives express concern over Bengals signing Orlando Brown Jr. to play left tackle
NFL free agency has become a yearly catalyst for the league turning on its head. There were no Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson trades this time around, but the Cincinnati Bengals signing Orlando Brown Jr. away from the Kansas City Chiefs was certainly surprising to say the least. Cincinnati has welcomed the gigantic left tackle […]
NFL free agency has become a yearly catalyst for the league turning on its head.
There were no Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson trades this time around, but the Cincinnati Bengals signing Orlando Brown Jr. away from the Kansas City Chiefs was certainly surprising to say the least.
Cincinnati has welcomed the gigantic left tackle into town with open arms, but not everyone is convinced the club made a smart decision signing him.
Mike Sando of The Athletic reached out to anonymous NFL executives to get their takes on the biggest moves of free agency. One exec has concerns about Brown becoming the Bengals' new left tackle for Joe Burrow.
“Problem is, I think (Brown) is a right tackle. I think he played his best football in Baltimore’s system because he was protected. In terms of being a true blue-chip left tackle, I don’t see it. But he could look better in Cincy because Burrow gets the ball out faster than (Patrick) Mahomes.” – NFL exec on Bengals signing Brown
Brown has fought the perception of which tackle spot he should play for his entire NFL career. It's ultimately why he signed the deal the Bengals offered.
After two successful years as the Chief's left tackle, Brown was projected to sign a contract exceeding $20 million per year. That market never materialized as a lot of the NFL believed the same as the executive Sando spoke to.
The Bengals also didn't view Brown as a $20 million per year tackle, but $16 million? That's more in their range. They saw how the Ravens used Brown for three years before facing him three times when he was with the Chiefs.
No team had a better understanding of who Brown was, while also providing a better landing spot for him to accomplish his goals.
Ultimately, the Bengals aren't paying Brown to be a "true blue-chip left tackle" as there are nearly a dozen at his position getting paid a higher AAV. That's not to dismiss the investment they made in Brown considering they gave him the largest signing bonus for an offensive lineman in league history.
“To me, it shows the effort of Cincinnati being willing to invest dollars in protecting their quarterback, and I’m good with them doing that. At the same time, I’m hoping they have done their research, just from the standpoint that there’s a reason he is on his third team in four seasons.” – Another NFL exec on Bengals signing Brown
Brown is a big swing for the Bengals no matter how you look at it. The reasons as to why he's a risky signing applies to pretty much every major free agent decision clubs make.
When Joe Burrow needs better protection, big swings aren't the worst to make.
