In a late-night stunner, the Bengals stepped out of their comfort zone and threw major cash at Orlando Brown Jr., the best offensive tackle on the market.
Along the way, the team granted his wish of playing left tackle.
Brown began his career with the Baltimore Ravens as a right tackle and became a full-time left tackle after he was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.
“I’m super thankful for the opportunity to carry on my father’s legacy and be a left tackle,” Brown told NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. “It was important to be able to play that position and play for a winning team and a winning quarterback. Who Dey!”
That means Jonah Williams, in the final year of his deal, will bump presumably to either guard or right tackle. The team has a decision to make on right tackle La’el Collins, who might not be ready for Week 1 because of injury. Cutting Collins with a post-June 1 designation would save the Bengals roughly $7 million against the salary cap.
It probably won’t take long for the Bengals to reveal who goes where, but one thing is for certain — one of the best tackles in the game now protects Joe Burrow’s blindside.
