The Kansas City Chiefs failed to come to an agreement with LT Orlando Brown Jr. on a long-term contract extension despite making a significant offer.
Some believe that it was a mistake to not get a long-term deal done, while others believe that Kansas City dodged a bullet. In ESPN’s recent survey of 50 NFL executives, coaches and players regarding the NFL’s top-10 offensive tackles, you tend to get an understanding of why the latter opinion is so prevalent.
Brown Jr. fell outside the top-10 ranking for offensive tackles, but he was the first player discussed in their section of honorable mentions. NFL executives seem torn on his ability at the left tackle position and they shared some critical evaluations of his play.
“Against average competition, he’ll dominate,” an anonymous NFL personnel director told ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler. “Against good competition, he doesn’t look good. He’s big, not super athletic. Finds a way most weeks.”
Finding a way simply isn’t going to cut it for a player that wants to be the highest paid at his position. ESPN found that Brown Jr. excelled in run-block win rate, but failed to impress in pass-block win rate during his first full season at left tackle in 2021. Some NFL executives seem to be under the impression that he still belongs on the right side of the offensive line.
“To me, he’s a right tackle,” An anonymous high-ranking NFL exec told Fowler. “He’s a mauler, a little lazy in his play.”
Brown Jr. can only play on the one-year franchise tag in 2022, but he’ll have a chance to prove his worth and shut down the concerns of some of his detractors. If he doesn’t he might find himself in the same contract situation come the 2023 NFL offseason.
