The Cincinnati Bengals had a relatively quiet NFL free agency period- until Wednesday night. The Bengals made a splash, agreeing to a four-year, $64 million contract with free agent offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
Not only did the Bengals swipe Brown from the AFC rival Kansas City Chiefs, who admittedly seemed willing to let him walk, but they also provided another boost to an offensive line that, frankly, needed it.
But how did Cincinnati really do with this signing? That's what we'll discuss here.
Without further ado, it's time to hand out a grade for the Bengals' Brown contract.
Bengals' Orlando Brown Jr NFL Free Agency Contract Grade
Grade: A-
Yes, the Bengals spent money for Orlando Brown Jr. How much? The $31 million signing bonus that Brown is set to earn is the largest for an offensive lineman in NFL history, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
However, Brown's actual contract will make him just the 17th highest paid offensive tackle in the league, which is a bargain for the Bengals, considering that from Weeks 10-18, he was quite literally one of the best pass-blocking offensive lineman in the league.
But here's why this deal is really a win over the Bengals.
Last offseason, Bengals owner Mike Brown said that he wanted to “do some things to help” quarterback Joe Burrow, who was coming off of a season that saw him get sacked 70 times, the third-most since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.
What did Cincinnati do? They went out and signed Alex Cappa, Ted Karras and La'el Collins last offseason.
This year, they bring in Brown.
Burrow was sacked ten less times in 2022, though the offensive line was plagued by injuries and ineffectiveness in the playoffs, as the star quarterback went down by way of the sack five times in the AFC title game against the Chiefs.
Rather than trust that last year's investment was good enough, the Bengals went out and got one of the best offensive pass-blockers in the NFL in free agency.
That's what good teams do.
Not only do they constantly find ways to get better, but they find ways to protect their best investments.
Burrow, the former number-one overall pick who has led the team to a Super Bowl and an AFC title game in three seasons, is that best investment.
And with Brown, who earned a 77.2 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus in 2022, protecting his blindside, Burrow should finally have the safety and security from his offensive line that he has sorely lacked since entering the NFL.
That means that Burrow should finally have some extra seconds to look down field for star wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
That is a very scary thought for opposing defenses.
And a very comforting one for Bengals fans.
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