On Wednesday night, the Cincinnati Bengals pulled off a massive free agent signing, adding former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown to hold bolster their offensive line and protect star quarterback Joe Burrow.
The move came as quite a bit of a surprise as the Bengals were not widely viewed as a frontrunner to land Orlando Brown during free agency. But it seems there was one key thing Cincinnati was offering Brown that others might not have been: the opportunity to play left tackle.
While many teams around the league reportedly saw Brown as a better fit as a right tackle, Brown was quite adamant that he wanted to play left tackle, revealing that it was important to him to play the same position as his father.
Just spoke to new #Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr.: "I'm super thankful for the opportunity to carry on my father's legacy and be a left tackle. It was important to be able to play that position and play for a winning team and a winning quarterback. Who Dey!"
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 16, 2023
“I’m super thankful for the opportunity to carry on my father’s legacy and be a left tackle,” Brown told Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. “It was important to be able to play that position and play for a winning team and a winning quarterback. Who Dey!”
Brown will now take over as the team’s starting left tackle with former left tackle Jonah Williams sliding over to right tackle this season. The Bengals are expected to part ways with former right tackle La’el Collins, who suffered a season-ending knee injury toward the end of the season.
