Orlando Brown - Pro Football Rumors

Release Candidate: Ravens OT Alejandro Villanueva

February 27th, 2022 at 10:12pm CST by Ely Allen

In the week before the 2021 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens gave in to the wishes of Pro Bowl offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and traded him away to the Chiefs. This trade left a hole on the Ravens’ offensive line opposite All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley. To address this issue, the Ravens signed Alejandro Villanueva, a free agent whom the Steelers felt ready to move on from.

After not falling in love with any of the tackles the Draft had to offer at their position in the early rounds, Baltimore opted for a stopgap solution, signing Villanueva to a two-year deal worth $14MM. Villanueva had performed admirably over his sevens years in Pittsburgh, but was never really considered an elite tackle. His best years saw him make consecutive Pro Bowls in the 2017 and 2018 NFL seasons.

As a Raven, Villanueva did his job, and then was asked to do more. After four years of starting at left tackle as a Steeler, Villanueva struggled initially when asked to fill in at right tackle. He got to go back to his more natural position after ankle surgery sidelined Stanley for the all but one game of the 2021 season.

Villanueva had an up and down year. Often Villanueva’s age showed during some rough outings, but the 33-year-old showed some resiliency, playing through some discomfort knowing that another absence for the injury-devastated Ravens could spell disaster. He seemed to find his footing with time, though, playing a pretty good stretch of football to end the season.

But was Villanueva’s performance in 2021 worthy of a $9.25MM cap hit in 2022? Likely not. The Ravens will hope for a strong return for Stanley and they signed Ja’Wuan James to a low $9MM, two-year contract knowing that he likely would be out with a torn Achilles tendon for much of the 2021 season. The likeliest scenario sees Baltimore cutting Villanueva loose to rely on a combination of Stanley and James to bookend the offensive line. The Ravens also recently signed utility offensive lineman Patrick Mekari to a three-year extension. The former undrafted free agent has started at all three offensive line positions for Baltimore and could continue to fill in at right tackle until the next franchise tackle shows up.

Baltimore could also opt to address the position in the 2022 NFL Draft. While, with the 14th overall pick, the Ravens are not in a position to take one of the Draft’s more exciting tackle prospects like NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu or Alabama’s Evan Neal, if Mississippi State’s Charles Cross were to fall to Baltimore, the Ravens, who are known for drafting for value over fit, would likely find it hard to pass on Cross’s potential. Cross, who ranks as the 8th best Draft prospect on The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s Top 100, impresses many evaluators, but, reportedly, hasn’t convinced the entire league that he’s a top ten draft pick. If the Ravens were to trade back later into the first round, another common move by the draft-savvy franchise, they could find smaller school prospects like Northern Iowa’s Trevor Penning or Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann falling into their laps. They could even wait until their second-round or third-round selections come up and opt to take a flyer on Minnesota’s massive Daniel Faalele or Ohio State’s Nicholas Petit-Frere, respectively.

Regardless, most paths that make sense for Baltimore don’t entail the team stomaching a $9.25MM cap hit for a tackle that struggled much of the year for them. Turning 34 at the beginning of the 2022 season, Villanueva could save the Ravens the trouble and simply retire. Whether retired or released, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we don’t see Villanueva in purple and black next season.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Chiefs OT Orlando Brown Jr.

February 27th, 2022 at 4:32pm CST by Ely Allen

In November, we wrote a Free Agent Stock Watch on Chiefs’ blindside tackle Orlando Brown Jr. Three months later and the situation is starting to clear up a bit. In case you don’t feel like reading the older piece, here’s a quick recap:

A unanimous All-American at Oklahoma, Brown was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Ravens. Despite being considered a first-round pick for much of his last year in college, a poor performance at the NFL Combine plummeted the young tackle’s stock. Brown quickly made sure that the football world knew he was not going to be defined by his combine performance and became widely considered as one of the biggest steals of the draft.

Brown went to his first Pro Bowl in 2019, after his first full season as the Ravens’ starting right tackle. The next year, an injury to newly extended left tackle Ronnie Stanley pushed Brown to the left side of the offensive line for the last 10 games of the season. Brown made his second Pro Bowl that year after playing most of the year at left tackle.

At that point, Brown made it clear to the Ravens that he intended to be the best left tackle in the NFL. Brown’s determination to play on the left side of the line stemmed from his late father’s wish that he not settle for any other position in the NFL, so Brown requested a trade to an organization that would allow him to live that dream.

The Ravens honored Brown’s request and traded him to the Chiefs. It was initially thought that Kansas City would extend the young stalwart tackle and lock down their future at the position, but the Chiefs held off, allowing Brown to play out the final year of his rookie contract. Brown’s first year as a Chief ended with him becoming the only offensive tackle in the NFL to be in all of the last three Pro Bowls.

At this point, it’s not expected that Kansas City would let their blindside blocker walk away after only one year. Brown is a talented and, perhaps more importantly, young left tackle who not only dominated in the Ravens’ run-game-centered offense, where they passed the ball 44.96% of the time, but also dominated in the Chiefs’ pass-heavy offense, where they passed the ball 62.36% of the time.

Spotrac.com estimates a calculated market value for Brown at a five-year deal worth $116.58MM. That would give Brown the NFL’s highest average annual salary for an offensive tackle at $23.32MM per year, over the likes of Trent Williams ($23.01MM), David Bakhtiari ($23MM), Laremy Tunsil ($22MM), and former teammate Ronnie Stanley ($19.75MM).

In an article by Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, Chiefs’ general manager Brett Veach was quoted saying, “As far as Orlando, he was a guy that had a dream to play left tackle and had a small sample size of him playing left tackle at Baltimore. He’s another unique character, too, where when you talk about a culture and when you talk about a guy that does everything the right way, Orlando Brown is in the category.”

A conversation will likely need to be had with quarterback and former MVP Patrick Mahomes as his cap hit is expected to jump from $7.43MM in 2021 to $35.79MM in 2022. If the Chiefs are not able to figure out a long-term deal with Brown, they are likely to use their franchise tag to give both parties an extra year to come to an agreement. In the unlikely event that neither of those options play out, Brown will certainly become one of the top offseason priorities for any team interested in a franchise left tackle.

Latest On Chiefs’ Tyrann Mathieu, Orlando Brown Jr.

February 3rd, 2022 at 3:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 2021 season ended just short of a third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl for the Chiefs, beginning an offseason filled with important roster decisions. General manager Brett Veach‘s comments in a recent press conference highlighted the team’s likely priorities, which will be shaped to a large extent by a pair of pending free agents: safety Tyrann Mathieu and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.

One day after the Chiefs’ overtime loss in the AFC title game, Mathieu posted a tweet which certainly points to him signing elsewhere in the offseason. “Lot to be proud of over the past 3 years”, it states. “I’m thankful and grateful. I leave with a grateful heart having got the chance to play for all you good people”.

Veach, however, was quick to downplay the high potential of the three-time All Pro departing. When asked if Mathieu’s stay in KC is over, he responded, “I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily true. That’s Tyrann just being his genuine self” (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Teicher). The 29-year-old recorded 13 interceptions in three seasons in Kansas City. His contract, which averages $14MM per year, expires in March.

When asked about Brown Jr., Veach stated that he expects the 25-year-old to be the team’s starting LT, tweets NFL Network’s James Palmer. He was traded from the Ravens last April, in a move that accommodated his request to play on the blindside – something that his late father always wanted for him. 2021 was the final year of his rookie contract, which carried a salary of just under $3.4MM. His 75.2 PFF grade this year didn’t live up to the potential he showed in Baltimore, but it should still be enough to command an extension making him one of the league’s highest paid tackles.

Overall, Veach stated that the defensive side of the ball is likely to be the organization’s first priority this offseason (Twitter link via Herbie Tope of the Kansas City Star). With very limited cap space and a few massive deals already on the books, though, any commitment to Mathieu and/or Brown Jr. would greatly reduce the team’s remaining options with regards to maintaining an elite roster.

Chiefs’ OL Lucas Niang Out For Rest Of Season

January 2nd, 2022 at 6:31pm CST by Ely Allen

According to a tweet from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Andy Reid informed reporters, after the Chiefs’ loss to the Bengals today, that tackle Lucas Niang suffered a torn patellar tendon. Worries were high for the second-year lineman when he needed to be carted off early in the first quarter. Unfortunately, this type of injury not only prevents Niang from returning this year, but, even after extensive rehabilitation, it could hamper Niang for years to come.

Niang was a third-round pick for the Chiefs two years ago, but was one of several players who opted out of the 2020-21 NFL season due to COVID-19 concerns. In what is effectively his rookie season, Niang has been a key player on the line, starting 8 games this season while dealing with some injuries and spending some time on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Kansas City was already short their other starting tackle, Orlando Brown, as he was scratched early this morning with a calf injury. The Chiefs pushed guard Joe Thuney to left tackle and relied on Andrew Wylie at right tackle. Wylie has been filling in for Niang this year and Kansas City will likely continue to depend on him into the playoffs. The loss of Brown is much more concerning for the immediate future and they will hope to get him back in time for a January run.

As for Niang, a speedy and efficient recovery is the best hope. Tears of the patellar tendon have a penchant for ruining careers. While players have been known to rehab and return, few have looked like their former selves after. Players like former Giants’ receiver Victor Cruz and former Buccaneers’ running back Cadillac Williams have returned to play only to look like shadows of their former selves. Longtime former Patriots’ linebacker Jerod Mayo retired shortly after his diagnosis.

Bears’ tight end Jimmy Graham is a rare example of a player who returned to play and continued being his dominant self. After Graham was traded to the Seahawks, he never quite reached the thousand-yards-receiving-coupled-with-double-digit-touchdown seasons of his days with the Saints, but, after tearing his right patellar tendon in his first season in Seattle, Graham returned to Pro Bowl play each of the next two years and set a Seahawks’ franchise record for single season touchdowns by a tight end with 10 in 2017.

We obviously hope for a best case scenario outcome like this as Niang deals with one of football’s biggest nemeses. Torn patellar tendons have ruined too many careers before they began. Our hopes go out to Lucas as he prepares to tackle a daunting injury and we wish him a long and healthy career.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Chiefs OT Orlando Brown Jr.

November 26th, 2021 at 8:30pm CST by Ely Allen

He bet on himself to be a focal point of a team’s offensive line and he hopes to see that bet pay off this spring. Set to be a free agent after the 2021-22 season concludes, Orlando Brown Jr. has had an interesting journey through his rookie contract.

A unanimous All-American at Oklahoma, Brown was selected in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Ravens. Despite being considered a first-round pick for much of his last year in college, a poor performance at the NFL Combine plummeted the young tackle’s stock. Brown quickly made sure that the football world knew he was not going to be defined by his combine performance and became widely considered one of the biggest steals of the draft. Six games into his rookie year, an injury to starting right tackle James Hurst thrust Brown into a starting role. Brown, meanwhile, hasn’t missed a single game since taking over.

Brown went to his first Pro Bowl in 2019 after his first full season as the Ravens’ starting right tackle. The next year an injury to newly extended left tackle Ronnie Stanley pushed Brown to the left side of the offensive line for the last 1o games of the season. Brown made his second Pro Bowl that year after playing most of the year at left tackle.

At that point Brown made it clear to the Ravens that he intended to be the best left tackle in the NFL. This put Baltimore in a difficult position as they had signed Stanley to a five-year extension worth $98.75 MM just prior to the 2020 season. Stanley, a First-Team All-Pro in 2019, had been drafted only two years prior to Brown and had established himself as the future blindside blocker in Baltimore. But Brown’s determination to play on the left side of the line stemmed from his late father’s wish that he not settle for any other position in the NFL, so Brown requested a trade to an organization that would allow him to live that dream.

The Ravens honored Brown’s request and traded him, along with a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, to the Chiefs for a first-, third-, and fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. It was initially thought that Kansas City would extend the young stalwart tackle and lock down their future at the position, but the Chiefs held off, allowing Brown to play out the final year of his rookie contract.

Perhaps the Chiefs wanted to be sure that Brown could perform in a pass-happy system that differed greatly from the Ravens’ run-heavy offense. Brown’s play has not suffered as he continues to use his length well in pass-blocking and, while not dominant as a run-blocker, he rarely misses blocks in the run game.

It’s not expected that Kansas City would let their blindside blocker walk after only one year. Brown should expect a strong extension offer from the Chiefs. And while it may not be feasible to reach the yearly average value of contracts like Trent Williams ($23.01MM) or David Bakhtiari ($23 MM), the contracts of other young tackles like Laremy Tunsil ($22MM per year) and former teammate Stanley ($19.75MM) should serve as a good jumping off point to determine Brown’s worth.

A conversation will probably need to be had with quarterback and former MVP Patrick Mahomes as his cap hit is expected to jump from $7.43MM in 2021 to $35.79MM in 2022. If the Chiefs are not able to make a deal work, Brown will certainly become one of the top offseason priorities for any team interested in a franchise left tackle.

Chiefs Discuss Tyrann Mathieu Extension, Prepared To Tag Orlando Brown Jr. In 2022

August 18th, 2021 at 6:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt and GM Brett Veach have expressed a desire to extend Tyrann Mathieu. The All-Pro safety has shown interest in staying in Kansas City as well, but the Chiefs are not rushing to finalize a deal.

Citing this year’s $16MM cap reduction, Veach noted the Mathieu math is a bit more complicated than it otherwise would have been.

“We’ve had a chance to talk to Tyrann and his representation, and I think it’s a little bit difficult with the landscape right now of having two cap-shortened offseasons, and where we are in regards to our offseason projections,” Veach said during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio (via Pro Football Talk). “But as we’ve discussed with Tyrann and his crew, it’s one of those situations that where we are now will certainly not be where we are once the season ends. Once we correct some of the things when you have extensions, conversations, trades, [free agents who] move on — every team is certainly in a different position [with] what their books say than they will be in the offseason.

“We like to think that we’re going to find a way to get this done, and he knows we love him and we know he wants to be here. And right now for us and for him, I think it’s just a timing thing.”

The Chiefs are projected to be a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of cap space in 2022, though that is a ways off, but this equation does not yet include Orlando Brown Jr. The Chiefs are tabling negotiations with their new left tackle until the offseason, but Veach said he has factored a Brown franchise tag into his 2022 numbers.

“Right now we’re counting Orlando on a tag, but we think he’s going to play well, and we’re going to extend him, and that opens up space,” Veach said, via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher.

Veach and Co. have managed their books quite well in recent years, signing Patrick Mahomes to a record-setting extension that is still somehow team-friendly while also extending Chris Jones and Travis Kelce. The Chiefs, however, finalized these deals in the summer of 2020, when the cap’s status featured greater uncertainty. The cap is expected to rise toward $210MM in 2022.

Both Mathieu and Brown are going into contract years. Each will seek top-market money, and the team can obviously only tag one of them. The offensive line tag came in at just $13.8MM this year. The number will rise in 2022. Mathieu’s safety tag would be higher than the league-determined figure at the position, due to the 120% rule that comes into play when teams tag players they previously signed to big-ticket deals. Mathieu’s 2022 tag figure would be $17.46MM — 120% of his $14.55MM 2021 base salary.

While Brown has not proven a fit just yet, Mathieu has been vital to the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. The 29-year-old defender has earned first-team All-Pro acclaim in each of his two Chiefs seasons. He is set to finish out a three-year, $42MM pact this season. Mathieu and Landon Collins‘ $14MM-per-year deals topped the safety market in 2019, but Jamal Adams has since raised the bar to $17.5MM annually. Adams’ deal stands to impact the Chiefs soon.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach On Orlando Brown Contract Situation

May 11th, 2021 at 7:58pm CST by Rory Parks

Shortly after the Chiefs acquired left tackle Orlando Brown from the Ravens, we heard that the team was not planning an immediate extension. And in an interview with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk today, Kansas City GM Brett Veach said that contract negotiations will not commence until 2022 (video link).

When Baltimore granted Veach permission to speak with Brown’s camp, the two sides did discuss Brown’s contract situation. “We had lengthy conversations,” Veach said, and part of those conversations was the reality of the uncertain salary cap. Veach, like most people in the NFL world, expects the cap to improve in short order, but he does have Brown under contract for this season at a bargain $3.384MM salary, and he acknowledged that the club has other business to conduct. Presently, KC has roughly $10MM of cap space, but it still needs to sign its six-man draft class, and it will want to keep some flexibility throughout the summer and into the regular season.

It doesn’t sound as if much progress was made towards a new deal, and Brown and the Chiefs ultimately agreed to table the talks until next year. At that point, Veach and Brown will have not only a better idea of what the 2022 cap will be, but they will also get a sense of whether the cap spikes that are expected to come to fruition in subsequent seasons are realistic.

However, Veach said that “we’re certainly going to be committed to making this work long-term.” And perhaps the waiting game is in the team’s best interests. Although Brown played well when pressed into action at left tackle in 2020, he spent the first 2.5 years of his pro career at right tackle, and there is some question as to whether he possesses the quickness to consistently lock down the blind side in an offense that is much more reliant on the pass than the Ravens’ run-heavy attack.

Of course, if contract talks prove to be problematic next year, Veach would have the option of deploying the franchise tag. Right now, Spotrac estimates Brown’s market value to be roughly $19MM per season, and given that the five LTs at the top of the market presently have AAVs between $18MM-$23MM, that seems like a reasonable starting point in negotiations.

Chiefs To Hold On Orlando Brown Extension

April 23rd, 2021 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Orlando Brown got his wish on Friday as the Ravens traded him to a team that will happily deploy him at left tackle. However, he won’t get the brand new contract he wanted — at least, not right away. There’s no immediate extension as a part of the deal, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter) hears.

For now, Brown will play out the final year of his deal, which will pay him just under $3.4MM in 2021. After that, the Chiefs will have the ability to deploy the franchise tag, which would keep him from the open market at the top-five average for offensive tackles. Brown, ideally, would like to lock up his pay day sooner, but he’ll be in great shape if he reprises his 2020 performance. Filling in for Ronnie Stanley, Brown graded out as one of the 25 best tackles in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.

Brown, who stands at an imposing 6’8″, will eventually shoot for something in the neighborhood of $18-22MM per year to join the likes of Ronnie Stanley, David Bakhtiari, and Laremy Tunsil. For now, he’ll have to stay patient, but he’s undoubtedly happier than he was just 24 hours ago.

Ravens Trade Orlando Brown To Chiefs

April 23rd, 2021 at 2:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have agreed to trade Orlando Brown to the Chiefs (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). As a part of the deal, the Ravens will receive the Chiefs’ No. 31 overall choice in next week’s draft while sending their No. 58 pick to KC along with Brown.

Chiefs Receive:

OT Orlando Brown
2021 second-round pick (No. 58 overall)
2022 sixth-round pick

Ravens Receive:

2021 first-round pick (No. 31 overall)
2021 third-round pick (No. 94 overall)
2021 fourth-round pick (No. 136 overall)
2022 fifth-round pick

Brown, a 2018 third-round choice, moved from right tackle to left tackle last year to fill in for Ronnie Stanley. After turning in a strong year at LT, Brown told the Ravens that he didn’t want to go back to the other side. The Ravens have kept mum on the situation, but they’ve been listening on offers for the last few months.

The difference between left tackle and right tackle can amount to tens of millions of dollars over the long run. However, the Oklahoma product says his preference stemmed from his late father’s wishes.

“He always told me, ‘Don’t settle for playing right tackle. Make sure that when it comes time and you get to every level, you’re playing left,” the younger Brown said recently.

It’s not immediately clear whether the Oklahoma product will receive a new contract from the Chiefs straight away. For now, he has one more year to go on his rookie deal. After that, the Chiefs will have the option of using the franchise tag to cuff him for 2022.

The Ravens are now armed with two first round picks — their original No. 27 plus the No. 31 pick. That should give them ample ammo to trade for a new tackle, though they may circle back to Alejandro Villanueva instead, allowing them to address other needs late in the first round. Ultimately, the Ravens were facing two major issues with Brown. 1. They couldn’t unseat Stanley to put him on the left side and 2. A top-of-the market deal for him would have created a serious numbers crunch down the road, especially with Lamar Jackson‘s upcoming payday.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have scored a top-flight young blocker — one that’s far better than any of this year’s Tier 2 options. Brown will help to fill the void left by the departures of starting tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, who were released for financial and health reasons. Now, the Chiefs project to have Brown, Joe Thuney, Kyle Long, Austin Blythe, and the returning Laurent Duvernay-Tardif up front.

Pro Football Focus has viewed Brown as a top-25 tackle in each of the past two seasons, so he’ll be seeking a contract to match. Stanley, Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil have all elevated the left tackle market, which means that Brown could aim for something just shy of $22MM annually. At minimum, Brown’s camp will likely open talks by asking for $18MM per annum — that’s how much leading right tackle Lane Johnson makes per year.

Ravens Talking Orlando Brown Trade With 6 Teams

March 11th, 2021 at 12:53pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Orlando Brown situation might be heating up. The Ravens’ stud young tackle has requested a trade due to his desire to play left tackle (which he can’t do in Baltimore long-term thanks to the presence of Ronnie Stanley).

The Ravens have been listening on offers, and sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com they’ve had “ongoing conversations” with six teams. Garafolo spoke to Brown for the story, and the Oklahoma product indicated his desire to man the left side stemmed from his late father’s wishes.

“He always told me, ‘Don’t settle for playing right tackle. Make sure that when it comes time and you get to every level, you’re playing left,” the younger Brown said. In his first public comments since the trade request, Brown also said that a new contract will be part of the trade process wherever he lands.

The 2018 third-round pick is currently set to enter the final year of his rookie deal. Brown filled in for Stanley on the left side last year and played well, cementing his belief that that’s where he belongs. John Harbaugh has made it sound publicly like he isn’t expecting Brown to get traded, but Garafolo’s latest report indicates the team is getting serious about trade talks. We should know a lot more soon.