If the K.C. Chiefs are going to make a move for an offensive tackle outside of the draft, the single biggest asset they could potentially chase is Baltimore Ravens tackle Orlando Brown, Jr. According to NFL reporter Josina Anderson, it looks as if those trade talks are “heating up.”
My understanding is that with the recent visit of free agent OL Alejandro Villanueva with the #Ravens, and with the NFL Draft less than a week away, that trade talks surrounding Orlando Brown are "heating up," as the countdown to the event continues on.
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) April 23, 2021
Let’s be clear: in no way does Anderson name any team here, which means no one should infer that the Chiefs are in the mix here officially. This is all conjecture, a connecting of obvious dots of the need from one team to move a player and the hole on another team’s roster. However, for Chiefs Kingdom, it’s certainly interesting to follow the entire affair knowing that general manager Brett Veach has already tried to move heaven and earth to fill the left tackle role with a proven veteran like Trent Williams just several weeks ago.
Coming into the offseason, the Chiefs decided to start all over at both tackle spots after relying on Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz for years. Both players were not only among the most expensive players on the team heading into the ’21 season, but both men were also dealing with serious injuries that created serious questions about their availability for the coming season. For Fisher, he faced a long recovery from an Achilles injury suffered in the AFC Championship game. For Schwartz, back issues that flared up in Week 6 enough to remove him from the field never allowed him to return.
Will the Chiefs be in the mix for an Orlando Brown trade?
That’s not to say that both players are gone forever from the Chiefs roster. Head coach Andy Reid admitted that the “door is open” for a return just earlier this week, but the Chiefs needed an infusion of young talent along the line as it was, and protecting Patrick Mahomes was going to force some changes either way.
The Chiefs already chased Williams early in free agency only to see the talented left tackle return to the San Francisco 49ers on a lucrative contract. At that point, the Chiefs basically stopped looking at other options as they watched Riley Reiff sign with the Cincinnati Bengals and Alejandro Villanueva and Russell Okung remain available in free agency.
At this point, it’s impossible to know exactly what it might cost to lure Brown away from the Ravens, but it looks as if a departure is in the works with his insistence on playing a left tackle position currently manned by Ronnie Stanley. If the Ravens trade him, however, it’s hard to picture John Harbaugh willingly helping an AFC rival with a trade, even for a considerable amount.
That said, everyone can be bought and maybe the Chiefs would decide to pay through the nose in order to land (and then extend) Brown. If so, it’s going to radically change draft weekend because that will likely mean the Chiefs have far less assets at their disposal. However, they will have also taken care of their biggest roster concern heading into the draft.