On the eve of the franchise tag deadline, the first confirmed usage of the tag has been announced. Not surprisingly, it’s Kansas City, using it to ensure left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. remains with the Chiefs for at least one more season (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 
[Related: Chiefs Expected To Tag Orlando Brown Jr.]
The move was expected, given the draft capital the team traded to Baltimore to acquire the Oklahoma product, as well as general manager Brett Veach‘s recent comments on the situation with Brown. 2021 marked not only his first year in Kansas City, but also the first time he spent a full NFL campaign as a left tackle – one of the key factors in driving the trade out of Baltimore.
As the new blindside blocker on a completely re-vamped offensive line, Brown (who will still be just 26 by the start of next season) provided mostly solid play. He suited up for 16 games, playing a career-high 1,128 snaps. PFF credited him with four sacks allowed, leading to a overall grade of 75.2. He was named a Pro Bowler for the third straight season, demonstrating his worth not only now but well into the future.
Schefter’s colleague Field Yates tweets that the unofficial cost of the tag for offensive linemen will be $16.5MM. That will likely be the minimum he earns this year, as Veach has made it clear the team is aiming for a long-term deal. If a new pact can be signed before mid-July, Brown would presumably rank amongst the top-paid left tackles in the league.
As Yates also notes, this news further points to safety Tyrann Mathieu hitting free agency. Again, that doesn’t come as a surprise given the team’s messaging in recent weeks, but his departure would leave a massive void in the Chiefs’ defense. Nevertheless, today’s move marks one significant piece of business taken care of – at least for now – in Kansas City.
The smart and expected move by the Chiefs.
Besides Brown and Thuney the remainder of the o-line was 3 rookie starters wasn’t it?
Rookies at C and RG. RT was going to be Lucas Niang, who opted out for covid in 2020, which would have been his rookie year. He was injured several games this year though.