With the signing of Orlando Brown Jr. on Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals made a huge move in free agency while also making a major upgrade to their offensive line.
Brown, who has been selected to four-straight Pro Bowls, will play left tackle and be tasked with protecting Joe Burrow’s blindside.
The six-foot-eight, 340 pound fifth-year player out of Oklahoma started his career with the Baltimore Ravens where he played from 2018-2020. He spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, including last season’s Super Bowl champions.
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Here are five things to know about Orlando Brown Jr.
Orlando Brown Jr. is a second generation NFL player
His father, Orlando Brown, was nicknamed “Zeus” and played 10 seasons in the NFL.
Orlando Sr. played for the Cleveland Browns from 1993-95 and again in 1999. He played for the Ravens from 1996-98 and from 2003-05.
Orlando Brown Jr. was a football late bloomer
Orlando Jr. played one year of peewee in kindergarten, but his dad didn’t allow him to play any organized football after. Orlando Jr. believes it was out of concern for he and his younger brothers not living up to expectations.
The summer before eighth grade, Orlando Jr. finally got his dad to let him play football, but under one condition.
“I’ll let you play,” Orlando Jr. recalled his dad telling him to si.com. “But you can’t quit until you’ve got 10 years in the NFL and a Hall of Fame résumé. You’ve gotta approach this with the mindset that you’re gonna be the best left tackle ever.’ ”
Orlando Brown Jr. went to a football powerhouse in high school
Brown is one of five alumni of Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia currently playing in the NFL.
Cameron Heyward, Connor Heyward, Bradley Roby and Nigel Warrior all played for the Lions. Kevin Minter, who last played in the NFL in 2021, also went there.
Orlando Brown Jr. had a record-setting career at Oklahoma
While playing for the historic Sooners football team, Brown left his mark on the program.
In 2015 he became one of only 10 freshmen in school history to start a game at offensive tackle. He went on to start all 40 games of his career at left tackle.
In 2016 he became the first sophomore to win the Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year as voted on by the league’s coaches. He won the award again the following year, only the third lineman to win the award multiple times.
Brown was also a unanimous first-team All-American in 2017.
Orlando Brown Jr. has overcome a poor NFL Scouting Combine performance
He posted a 5.85 40-yard dash at the 2018 combine, called a “historically bad time,” by NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock. He also underperformed in the bench press, vertical jump and broad jump. Brown went from a possible first round draft pick to seeing his stock plummet.
He improved all his stats at his pro day, as well as Oklahoma’s pro day, and ended up becoming a third-round pick.
Brown, though, let his play on the field do his talking. He's become one of the game’s top offensive tackles.
Reflecting on his poor performance, he told baltimoreravens.com:
"Hopefully the NFL eventually starts moving more so toward watching the film and evaluating how the guy played in college – not what he's going to run or how high he can jump," Brown said.
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