Orlando Brown Jr. should be K.C. Chiefs primary trade target

The Cost, Fit, and Other Considerations

This would not be the first time Andy Reid spent big acquiring an established offensive tackle. The Philadelphia Eagles traded for Jason Peters in April of 2009 by sending the Buffalo Bills both first and fourth round picks in 2009 and a sixth round pick in 2010. This deal could very likely provide a framework for an offer to Baltimore.

The Ravens will likely make the Chiefs pay a little more than other teams as inter-conference rivals don’t often care to help improve each other. The Ravens and Chiefs have developed a pseudo-rivalry as two of the best teams in the AFC, so Baltimore may be hesitant to deal with Kansas City.

The good news is, Kansas City just received additional mid-round compensatory picks that could help sweeten the deal for Baltimore. Additionally, the Chiefs could gamble on surrendering future draft capital as they will likely receive compensatory picks when offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy finally receives a head coaching offer.

While it may seem like a lot up front, the Chiefs could offer Baltimore their first round pick in 2021 along with one of two fourth round selections and tag on a future third or fourth round pick. The Ravens would be hard-pressed to say no to that haul.

There may be teams with more draft picks and more cap space but there may not be any other team as desperate for a proven tackle as Kansas City. A willingness to negotiate and up the ante for proven talent is an advantage for the Chiefs, especially when Veach has proven himself unafraid to pay for premium talent. Again, drawing parallels to the 2019 offseason, a trade for Orlando Brown could be very similar to Veach’s move to acquire Frank Clark.

Most of the NFL is strapped for cash right now, and the Chiefs are in the same boat. The moves to release Fisher and Schwartz helped the Chiefs create some cap space but the Chiefs are still not in a position to spend a ton this offseason. The good news is Brown is still playing on his rookie deal and his 2021 cap hit is $3.6 million. The Chiefs can afford that and work out an extension for the young tackle that would kick in when the team has more cap space in 2022 and beyond.

There is one last consideration for Kansas City that is, in all honesty, the most important one. Acquiring Orlando Brown Jr. would provide the Chiefs with a pair of offensive tackles, Brown and Lucas Niang, who could be bookend protectors for Patrick Mahomes for the next half-decade or longer. The Chiefs still have work to do along the interior, but there are mid-round selections available that the Chiefs could acquire even without a first-round pick in 2021.

The Chiefs have work ahead of them to protect the best player on the planet, but Chiefs Kingdom should find some comfort knowing that Brett Veach is willing and able to acquire talent to chase championships.