The Bengals, who are in need of a right tackle after Jonah Williams signed with the Cardinals, are adding a seasoned starter with a wealth of experience on both sides of the line.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Trent Brown will be heading from New England to Cincinnati. The Patriots’ recent left tackle starter will be joining the Bengals for a one-year contract. On a visit Tuesday, the nine-year veteran is in Cincinnati.
The Bengals could be making a very smart move by doing this. Nevertheless, given the significant variance in the 6-foot-8 blocker’s history, the one-year contract makes sense. When available, Brown has performed well; he turns 31 next month. But along his career, the seasoned tackle has encountered a number of health problems. Last season’s absences were among them.
In one-on-one scenarios, Brown finished his 30-year-old season with the second-best mark at the position according to Next Gen Stats and a No. 11 rating among tackles from Pro Football Focus. Additionally, Brown completed one-on-one tasks 88.3% of the time, which was the highest percentage for the role. Along with missing six games and only starting eight in 2023, the gifted tackle’s unavailability continued to be a theme throughout his career.
After his then-record right tackle deal with the Raiders did not work out, Brown was once again acquired by the Patriots in 2021. Brown missed five games in 2019, despite being selected to the Pro Bowl. Then, in 2020, issues from a COVID-19 constriction resulted in just five Brown starts. In 2021, Brown was switched to the right side by the Pats, who had made him their starting left tackle during their Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2018. But when the team signed Brown again in 2022, they moved him back to LT. The 49ers draft pick has started five seasons as a right tackle and three as a left side starter.
According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, the Bengals will urge the 370-pound O-lineman to try his luck on the right side once more because Orlando Brown Jr. is firmly established on Joe Burrow’s blindside. Following a trade request, the organization moved Williams to RT in the 2023 offseason. Williams completed his contract year before signing a two-year, $30MM deal with the Cards. The Bengals are gaining a blocker with a greater ceiling in Brown, but his career has been fraught with setbacks.
The Patriots were reportedly concerned with Brown’s inability to stay on the field in addition to adding weight provisions to his last two contracts. While Brown did not play in all 17 games in 2022, he did miss eight games in 2021. The Pats’ primary left tackle suffered ankle and knee ailments in the previous season, which led to internal dissatisfaction with the large blocker inside the building. Late in the 2017 season, Brown was declared healthy scratch by the Patriots but was removed off their injury report. After Week 13 of the previous season, Brown did not start and did not play in the Pats’ final two games.
Although Brown is positioned as the favorite to start on the right side, this signing may yet come before the Bengals choose a longer-term solution in the near future. The Bengals still have Jackson Carman and D’Ante Smith on their roster, but as long as the bigger of the two Browns stays healthy, Brown (93 starts) and a two-Brown O-line is most likely the current plan. With Orlando Brown Jr. reaching 6-8, 345, this would be one of the largest tackle tandems in NFL history, assuming Trent Brown stays healthy.
Leave a Reply