Tag: Orlando Brown

Orlando Brown Jr. reveals big reason free agents keep picking Bengals

And its not “Joe Burrow” or “Super Bowl contention,” though those help too.

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Orlando Brown Jr. says there’s a big reason free agents keep picking the Cincinnati Bengals.

And it’s not just about Joe Burrow or the team being a Super Bowl contender, either.

Brown says that a big part of the reason is free agents see how the Bengals welcome in players and let them be themselves, especially compared to other teams. While chatting about this, he even spotlighted Bengals center Ted Karras as a prime example.

“Ted Karras is an example of that,” Brown said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Someone who was given one-year opportunities and they gave him (a multiple-year deal) here and he’s been able to flourish and be the best player he can be. Not that he hasn’t always been that guy. He just necessarily hasn’t always gotten that opportunity to truly be himself and be himself on the football field and this is the place to do that.”

It’s a pretty interesting look behind the proverbial curtain from Collins — and a fitting one. It was actually his camp that reached out to the Bengals during free agency, not the other way around. The team considered Brown out of reach before that.

Instead, Brown’s reps reached out, likely in part due to these reasons. It speaks to the culture of the program Zac Taylor has built in Cincinnati and is more proof players 100 percent see the little things when looking around the league.

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Orlando Brown Jr. named Bengals’ most dangerous addition

Bengals OT Orlando Brown Jr. gets the nod in one ranking.

The Cincinnati Bengals made some big additions this offseason, but one stands out above all the rest.

Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report named Orlando Brown Jr. the most dangerous addition that the Bengals made over the offseason.

Knox notes that offensive linemen aren’t normally referred to as “dangerous,” but Brown is such an improvement over Jonah Williams last season that it is their biggest upgrade.

Here’s more of what Knox said about Brown:

The addition of Brown is big for two reasons. For one, it should substantially impact the pass-blocking efficacy of Cincinnati’s line, which has been a problem since star quarterback Joe Burrow was drafted in 2020.

Through 42 regular-season games, Burrow has been sacked a whopping 124 times. As incredible as Burrow has been as a pro, he could be even better in 2023 with Brown on his blind side.

Knox also said that Brown will help with the Bengals rushing attack, which wasn’t as strong as expected last season.

Brown makes what was already a Super Bowl-contending team in the Bengals even stronger.

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Longtime rivals Sam Hubbard and Orlando Brown Jr. talk about teaming up

Sam Hubbard and Orlando Brown finally find themselves on the same side with the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs matchup has turned into a heavyweight rivalry over the past few years.

Sam Hubbard and Orlando Brown Jr. have been matching up against each other much longer than that since their college days at Ohio State and Oklahoma, respectively. They are putting those feelings behind them after Brown switched sides and joined the Bengals.

Mohammed Ahmad of Cleveland.com asked Hubbard and Brown what they thought about teaming up after being rivals for such a long time.

Here’s what Brown said:

“It’s awesome. He’s a great player. I have a ton of respect for the way he plays and obviously, getting to be around him, I can see the way he game plans. To me, that’s the cool part seeing how some guys prepare,” Brown told cleveland.com. “I feel like he’s a really special player and I can’t wait to get to work with him.”

And Hubbard on Brown: “I think we’ve got a mutual respect for each other. It’s going to be great to have that presence on the offensive line because I’ve seen for years how he plays.”

Both will only have the goal of winning on their mind, so it will likely be easy to get along as teammates.

Look: Bengals OT Orlando Brown Jr. threw first pitch at Reds game

A fun moment for new Bengals OT Orlando Brown Jr.

Cincinnati Bengals players just keep showing up big at Cincinnati Reds games.

New franchise left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. was the most recent. He threw out the first pitch at Tuesday’s game as the Reds played host to the Texas Rangers in an eventual 7-6 win.

The fun event for fans came on the heels of defensive tackles DJ Reader and B.J. Hill doing something similar. Reader threw out the first pitch, while Hill played the part of photographer.

Both the Reds and the Bengals shared moments from the event, including a personal message from Brown to fans.

Here’s a quick roundup:

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Orlando Brown Jr. comments on new teammate Cordell Volson

Huge praise for Bengals guard Cordell Volson from Orlando Brown Jr.

As the Cincinnati Bengals prepare for the draft this week, Orlando Brown Jr. is learning more about his new teammates.

One player he commented on in Geoff Hobson’s article on the Bengals official website was his new neighbor on the line, sophomore left guard Cordell Volson.

Brown said that he doesn’t have many impressions on what it’s like to play with Volson yet, but he did say that Volson might be the biggest guard he has ever played with.

Here are some of the good things Brown and Volson had to say about each other:

Brown says he’s been watching Volson’s tape (“He moves so well for being so tall,” and “You can tell he studies” as well as “He’s got a great future”) and while he hasn’t watched Brown yet, the massive 6-7, 313-pound Volson knows the rep.

“Great dude. We’ve texted a little prior to meeting,” Volson said. “Ton of energy. Really good player. Just knowing the caliber of player he is, I’m really excited to play next to him.”

The Bengals hope the duo will develop good chemistry on the left side, and that Brown is right about Volson’s future.

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Orlando Brown Jr. had two questions and one slogan upon arriving with Bengals

Orlando Brown Jr. asked two important questions and put a motivational slogan over his locker last week.

New Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. arrived for the first time this past week and had two key questions.

Let Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tell it, when he reported alongside teammates for the first time, Brown asked two primary questions:

  • How can he link up with Anthony Munoz and Willie Anderson?
  • Where is his seat in Zac Taylor’s first team meeting?

Not bad questions to have and a line of thinking that speaks to his dedication to the craft. It’s sure to win him some points with fans, who were already jazzed about his arrival.

Brown also hung a slogan above his locker that he let do a lot of the talking, which simply spit out a Rick Ross line most know by now: “Every day I’m hustling.”

Offensive line coach Frank Pollack is famous for wanting glass eaters and it seems pretty clear he’s got another.

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NFL execs react to Bengals going big with Orlando Brown Jr.

Reactions from NFL executives to the Bengals’ big splash in free agency.

The Cincinnati Bengals received mostly big praise for the signing of Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency, landing one of the best offensive tackles in the league to protect Joe Burrow.

Despite the positives that come with the move though, there were whispers about how he’s hopped from a few different teams already and the insistence on playing left tackle.

That last point especially comes up around the NFL with team executives.

“Problem is, I think (Brown) is a right tackle,” an executive told The Atheltic’s Mike Sando. “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.”

But the nice thing about projecting Brown into Cincinnati’s offense is that some of the weaknesses he showed on the left side elsewhere might not be as prevalent with the Bengals given how fast Burrow gets the ball out and what the scheme asks of him.

That’s something that pops up elsewhere in the same discussion, with an executive telling Sando: “They are more gap-duo in their running game now after being more of a wide zone team, so he fits them more. It doesn’t really bother Burrow when the tackle loses the edge. He can avoid that. It’s when the tackle gets collapsed back into him that there is no way to escape. Orlando Brown can cover his guy up.”

The Bengals shifted the running game dramatically mid-season last year and got better results the rest of the way. All of their personnel moves for the group have reflected that, including Brown.

While the reaction is split here, most would agree the Bengals investing big in the line again for Burrow is the right move and few would argue Brown wasn’t one of the top options, so much so the Bengals didn’t think it was possible until his camp reached out to them first.

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Travis Kelce comments on Orlando Brown going to ‘dark side’ with Bengals

Some fun commentary from Travis Kelce about the new OT in Cincinnati.

In a manner of speaking, the Cincinnati Bengals swiped Orlando Brown Jr. from the Kansas City Chiefs in the early stages of free agency, taking one of the best tackles in football from Patrick Mahomes and putting him in front of Joe Burrow.

Browns’ now-former teammate Travis Kelce has a few thoughts on that development.

Appearing on his “New Heights” podcast with brother and fellow former UC legend Jason Kelce, Travis dished his thoughts on the development.

“It stings,” Travis said. “It hurts. It hurts my soul, man. It’s like watching your best friend just turn evil on you. Obviously, the past, like, two years we’ve struggled beating the Bengals, so there’s been a lot of build-up in emotion of like, I wouldn’t say ‘hate’ but dislike towards the Bengals because they keep beating us and they keep talking about it every time they do. To see him go to the dark side, it’s an awkward feeling.”

Travis went on to obviously wish Brown nothing but the best on his career in Cincinnati, but it’s still fun to hear the thoughts of a current Chiefs player on the subject.

Both Brown and Scott will get a reunion of sorts next season as the Bengals and Chiefs will again encounter one another in the regular season, this time in Kansas City.

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Sooners make top 10 for 2024 4-Star OT Andrew Sprague

The Oklahoma Sooners were included in the top 10 for 2024 four-star offensive tackle Andrew Sprague.

In the midst of spring practice and a huge recruiting weekend, the Oklahoma Sooners are picking up momentum on the recruiting trail. Though they haven’t received a commitment in the 2024 class, the Sooners have been projected to land several commitments and, on Thursday afternoon, landed in the top 10 of four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Andrew Sprague[/autotag].

Sprague hails from Kansas City, Mo., where the Oklahoma Sooners had big-time recruiting success in their most recent signing class. Five-star EDGE [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] is the highest-rated prospect to come out of Kansas City in the modern recruiting era. Four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] comes from the KC suburb of Lee’s Summit. The Sooners are also the trending favorite for another Lee’s Summit product, five-star defensive lineman [autotag]Williams Nwaneri[/autotag].

Though the Sooners have just recently joined in on the recruitment for Sprague, their influence in Kansas City and the success of Oklahoma offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh have already made significant headway.

“Oklahoma is in my top 10 because of how they develop their linemen,” Sprague told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. “Big-name guys like [autotag]Trent Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Creed Humphrey[/autotag], and [autotag]Orlando Brown[/autotag] all went to OU, and I believe Coach Bedenbaugh can develop me to be one of the next greats.”

Sprague’s top 10 is a who’s who of college football programs. It includes Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, LSU, Oregon, Missouri, Penn State, Nebraska, and Stanford.

Prototype tackle frame. Basketball player who showed really good coordination and ability on the court as a sophomore. His junior year in football, he filled in and grew into his body more and started becoming even more of a dominant force. He finishes his blocks and plays with aggression. Has solid bend for a taller guy. Can still continue to work on his footwork and general explosiveness. Has a lot of raw ability and is trending in the right direction judging on the strides made between his sophomore and junior years. Either tackle side is a possibility at this time although right now, he has played more on the left side and is comfortable there. – Allen Trieu, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst

Oklahoma appears well-positioned in Sprague’s recruitment, but with so many heavy hitters, it’ll be a battle to the end.

Andrew Sprague’s Recruiting Profile

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One underrated factor to keep in mind about Orlando Brown’s Bengals fit

One trait deserves the spotlight when it comes to Orlando Brown and the Bengals.

Much has been said about the deal the Cincinnati Bengals gave offensive tackle Orlando Brown in free agency.

The deal, after all, was a pretty big departure from how the Bengals usually do things. And it’s certainly interesting to compare it to the supposed extension the Kansas City Chiefs offered Brown.

An underrated thing that hasn’t been discussed nearly as much is one simple word — availability.

As Bengals fans found out last year when injuries took out three of the team’s linemen during the playoffs, availability is the most important thing above all. Two of those guys, La’el Collins and Jonah Williams, have had consistent problems in this area.

Brown certainty has not.

Since being drafted in 2018, Brown has missed just one game, a pre-game calf strain last year. That durability and his age (26) makes it reasonable to expect Brown sees the majority of his current contract’s games.

Sometimes simple availability trumps accolades. Look at last year — the Bengals’ starting five led the NFL in snaps played together late into the season before the injury bug struck.

If the Bengals can do that again, headed up by Brown as an anchor on the left side, the offense should keep putting the team in a position to contend.

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