Tag: Orlando Brown

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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Orlando Brown’s camp reached out to Bengals first about a deal

It was Orlando Brown who reached out to the Bengals first.

The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t have Orlando Brown Jr. in the plans before landing him in free agency.

Sure, they liked the idea of Brown protecting Joe Burrow, but the price range for the guy they projected as the best offensive tackle available would be far out of their comfort zone.

Until it wasn’t.

In a fantastic writeup from Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, Bengals director of pro scouting Steven Radicevic revealed it was Brown’s camp who reached out to the team, not the other way around:

“They reached out and showed some interest the night before we agreed,” Radicevic said. For all the planning, this could only be called a surprise. “Yeah, I would say so.”

One call, one day, one surprise.

“Out of nowhere,” offensive line coach Frank Pollack said. “I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me. Really? Wow!’”

That obviously sent Bengals coaches and otherwise back to quickly doing more work on Brown. But the end result was obvious — the team’s interest was real.

From there, all it took was the Cincinnati front office getting creative with big dollars to wrap up Brown, to the tune of a $31 million signing bonus. That, and coaches agreeing he would start at left tackle, not on the right side.

The Joe Burrow effect in all of this plays a part, too. Odds are Brown and his reps could have given a call to any team with ample cap space and asked about his playing left tackle. But the man who has already blocked for Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes wanted to block for Burrow, so it all unfolded in best-case scenario fashion for the Bengals.

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Examining a myth about Orlando Brown’s Bengals contract

A note about Orlando Brown’s contract with the Bengals compared to what Chiefs offered him.

After Orlando Brown signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, the idea went around in places such as Twitter that he took a big loss compared to an extension offer from the Kansas City Chiefs he turned down.

That extension Brown left on the table with the Chiefs was reported as a six-year deal worth $139 million.

With the Bengals, he inked a deal worth $64 million over four years with an immediate $31 million signing bonus.

At face value, that obviously looks like a big disparity. But things are never so simple at face value and especially when it comes to NFL contracts.

Spotrac provided some insight:

Over the span of 2022-24, when including a tag, Brown makes more money with the Bengals than he would have with the Chiefs. Only the first three of six years with the Chiefs were guaranteed anyway. After roughly two seasons with the Bengals, he enters prime extension territory again or eventually hits free agency — before turning 30, netting him one more big payday.

As other players have shown recently, a shorter deal can be much more lucrative than a long-term one. Brown is the latest example and overreactions about his contract situation were a tad premature.

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An old Bill Belichick story is resurfacing in best way possible

This is the sort of feel-good story you need on a Monday.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is known for his on-field accomplishments. However, an off-the-field gesture from years ago is resurfacing in the best way possible.

Belichick was the head coach for the Cleveland Browns from 1991-1995 and helped out Orlando Brown Sr. with a suit jacket in his rookie year. The offensive tackle played in 129 games, starting 119 of them. He went on to have a 13-year career in the NFL. Brown retired after the 2005 season with the Baltimore Ravens.

Before his decorated career, Brown was a rookie who had to get acclimated to NFL life. Belichick required players to travel in a jacket and tie or else they would not be able to get on the plane. Brown did not have the money for either, and that’s when Belichick lent a hand.

‘So Orlando came up to me and he said, ‘Coach, I don’t have any money. I can’t afford to buy a suit. And plus, there’s no suit that fits me!’ So I said, ‘Okay, let me work on this.’ So, I talked to my good friend at Cuffs in Cleveland, and I said, ‘Look, Orlando is going to come down there. You don’t have anything that fits him, but you’re a really good tailor. Figure it out,'” Belichick said.

Belichick would remain as head coach of the Browns until the 1995 season. The rest for the head coach is history, much like Brown’s decorated career. If anything, this story shows that Belichick is not afraid to help his players when they need it most.

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Orlando Brown Jr. reveals his jersey number with Cincinnati Bengals

For those planning on grabbing a jersey, here’s the number Orlando Brown will wear with the Bengals.

New Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown will wear the No. 75 while protecting Joe Burrow’s blindside.

Brown revealed the number selection during Friday’s introductory press conference after signing his massive deal with the Bengals.

The new No. 75 (previously worn recently by the likes of Isaiah Prince and Devon Still) reiterated on many of the points fans had heard already, such as Cincinnati’s willingness to play him at left tackle being a reason for coming to town.

He also talked about his first meeting with Burrow — over cheeseburgers.

Brown wore No. 78 with the Ravens (currently unassigned) and No. 57 with the Chiefs (Germaine Pratt).

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Orlando Brown and Joe Burrow linked up over cheeseburgers

It’s not as funny as the cupcakes story, but still notable.

Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown first met his new quarterback Joe Burrow in New York and the two had cheeseburgers.

Speaking with reporters in Cincinnati after inking his deal with the Bengals, Brown talked about the meeting and his impression of Burrow.

“He’s fired up, like I was,” Brown said, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby. “You can tell right away why he’s had the success he’s had.”

It’s high praise from Brown, who has now blocked for Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and now Burrow.

The story isn’t as funny as that time La’el Collins had cupcakes with Burrow before signing with the team, but it’s nice for fans to hear when and how the new left tackle met the star quarterback.

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Bengals cap space update after signing Orlando Brown

A look at Bengals cap space after the signing of Orlando Brown.

The Cincinnati Bengals made the big splash with Orlando Brown in free agency, yet that won’t put them up against the cap in a way that prevents them from making further moves.

While Brown got a four-year, $64.092 deal with a $31 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac, the cap hit in 2023 is really only $10.8 million.

And that’s only because that cap hit is only the seventh-highest cap hit on the Bengals next season so far.

Overall? The Bengals still have $20.4 million in free cap space.

That doesn’t include the signing of Cody Ford yet, but that isn’t expected to be a big chunk by any means.

Granted, keep in mind that a rookie draft class and injury money will remain set aside out of that chunk of cash, too. But it’s still enough for the team to add multiple players. That could mean help at safety, tight end and further offensive line additions.

Also, keep in mind the Bengals can still make cap-saving moves with the likes of La’el Collins and Joe Mixon to boost the number, too.

Don’t put it past the Bengals to spend right up to the cap, either — they’re being aggressive, to the point of outbidding two other teams for Brown.

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Orlando Brown issues message to NFL after signing with Bengals

A message from Bengals LT Orlando Brown to the world.

New Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. didn’t waste any time sending messages out to fans after agreeing to his massive contract on the first official day of free agency.

Brown, who will play left tackle, took to Twitter with a highlight reel of sorts showcasing all of the major doubts onlookers had about his pro prospects after a rough draft journey.

Fast forward to now, he’s 26, a four-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl champion and one of the league’s highest-paid offensive tackles while playing for a Super Bowl contender in Cincinnati.

Even former Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth commented on the post:

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Bengals outbid Steelers and Jets to sign Orlando Brown Jr.

The Bengals swiped one of the best tackles in football by leaving their comfort zone.

The Cincinnati Bengals had some serious competition for Orlando Brown before inking him to a massive, out-of-character deal.

And they did it to shove aside other contenders for Brown.

According to ESPN’s Jeremey Fowler, the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets were in on Brown, only for the Bengals to “put deal over the top with strong guarantees over long term.”

That’s a stunning comment for Bengals fans, who now see a front office that just outbid two other teams for a 26-year-old left tackle by giving out more guaranteed cash to him than they did all three offensive line signings last year — while front-loading the deal to avoid hurting things like Joe Burrow’s extension.

And yes, Brown will take over at left tackle.

It’s a dramatic change for the Bengals and it didn’t just hurt the Steelers and Jets in the AFC — they also grabbed him from the Chiefs, their biggest threat in the conference.

If there was any doubt the Bengals have changed, Wednesday night wiped it out.

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