‘I guarantee it’ll show’ – Orlando Brown sets bold expectations for the Bengals’ offensive line in 2026
Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. set the bar as high as possible for the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive line heading into the 2026 season.
Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. set the bar as high as possible for the Cincinnati Bengals’ offensive line heading into the 2026 season.
Brown told Bengals.com’s Geoff Hobson that continuity, depth, and collective experience makes him confident the unit can be the best in the NFL.
“I expect this to be the best in the league,” Brown told Hobson. “I think that we’ve got everything we need. We’ve got continuity, and most importantly, we’ve got great depth. And we’ve got a unit that’s played a lot of football together. We’ve got a lot of snaps together. So much of the offensive line is just having that feel for one another, and with the reps that we have and the time spent, I guarantee it’ll show.”
Becoming the best o-line in the NFL would be nothing short of an incredible accomplishment. Brown is setting bold expectations, but simply improving has been the goal for the entire offseason following a key move.
Improvement through continuity, thanks to Dalton Risner
Since the moment Dalton Risner signed his contract extension, continuity has been the selling point behind Cincinnati’s offensive line. The Bengals return all five starters from the second half of last season, when the unit played admirably and was genuinely one of the better pass-protecting groups in football.
Cincinnati ranked second in Pro Football Focus’s pass blocking efficiency rankings behind the Pittsburgh Steelers from Weeks 12 through 18, the stretch when Risner became the full-time starting right guard.
Dylan Fairchild at left guard, Ted Karras at center, and Amarius Mims at right tackle round out the group alongside Brown, who enters his fourth season in Cincinnati. The five of them carry over hundreds of snaps together heading into 2026.
What the best offensive line in the NFL would mean for Joe Burrow
It is not an understatement to say that if the Bengals had the best offensive line in the league, they would have the most unstoppable offense in football.
Joe Burrow is already elite at what he does. He has operated behind a below-average line for the majority of his career.
Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins would only benefit from Burrow having more time to find them down the field. Explosive plays could come at a higher rate. The run game would receive a boon as well, creating a more balanced attack.
The upside of this group reaching its ceiling is enormous for an offense that already has top-tier talent at every skill position.
No new starters, no rookies, no excuses
Brown’s confidence in his four teammates is obvious, and backed by results. The sample size from late 2025 is limited, but that stretch was the entire reason retaining Risner was such a priority for the front office.
This is the first time in the Burrow era that all five starters from the end of the previous season are already in place entering the next one. There is no integrating a new starter among this group. There are no rookies, either. Fairchild is the youngest player entering his second year. Mims is the second youngest with All-Pro potential in his future.
The Bengals could fall well short of Brown’s expectations and still be a success story in 2026. Just a competent o-line paired with the rest of Cincinnati’s offensive pieces gives this team a chance to go far.