Zac Taylor effectively shoots down one contingency plan if Orlando Brown Jr. misses time with calf strain
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said it was a positive sign for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to reemerge from the locker room and watch the rest of Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns from the sidelines, and he appears to be right.Taylor said Monday afternoon that Brown, who suffered what's now being labeled as a […]
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said it was a positive sign for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to reemerge from the locker room and watch the rest of Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns from the sidelines, and he appears to be right.
Taylor said Monday afternoon that Brown, who suffered what's now being labeled as a calf strain, is officially day-to-day with his injury. Taylor even went as far to call him "questionable" for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Brown dodged a long-term bullet for sure, but he's not out of the woods for this week. There's a real chance he misses practice time this week and is unable to play against Philly.
If that ends up being the case, Taylor and his staff would have to make a decision about who replaces him—if they haven't made it already.
Here's what the Bengals' offensive line would look like without Orlando Brown Jr.
What you saw for most of Sunday is what you'd likely see this Sunday. Brown was replaced by veteran backup Cody Ford while rookie and first-round pick Amarius Mims stayed at right tackle. The in-game emergency scenario made Ford filling in for Brown off the bench a more logical plan instead of moving Mims to the other side while Ford takes Mims' spot the line.
But if the Bengals know ahead of time that Brown will be out, does that open a door for the athletic and physically imposing Mims to take his spot instead of Ford for the time-being? Taylor effectively shot that idea down.
"No, I think Amarius is doing a really good job at right tackle," Taylor said to reporters Monday. "He's comfortable there. Of course, we always talk through what are the best options for our offense line anytime we have something we've got to adjust, but I'm pleased with how he's doing over there."
Mims was a right tackle all throughout college and has only repped at the position during preseason and regular season action as a rookie. It makes sense why Taylor and Co. wouldn't want to switch up things with him now, though he did have to practice on both sides while he was the swing tackle through the first three weeks. It wouldn't be a complete switch up for him.
It's an exercise of opportunity cost. Mims could very well play better than Ford at left tackle, but what would the drop off at right tackle be from Mims to Ford? Taylor is essentially saying that keeping both players where they are is the safer option
That doesn't mean Taylor would distrust Mims at left tackle. His evaluation of the 18th overall pick is very much backed by the stats. Mims just completed his fourth start at the position and has yet to allow more than two pressures in game he's played. His work against Browns All-Pro edge defender Myles Garrett was particularly impressive Sunday.
Mims' strong start to his career has really softened the blow of Trent Brown's season-ending injury. Brown was signed to be a stable starter or an ideal swing tackle should a rookie earn the right tackle job over him. Mims was on track towards doing just that before a preseason injury put the job in Brown's hands.
Both Brown and Mims were brought in this offseason to provide depth for a scenario exactly like this, but now that Brown is no longer an option, Ford is the next man up. He will be again if Orlando Brown can't go against the Eagles.
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