One of the biggest upcoming Kansas City Chiefs free agents, literally and figuratively, will be left tackle Orlando Brown. Brown, who was acquired last offseason in a massive trade with the Baltimore Ravens, started all but one game for the Chiefs in 2021 and we now have a pretty good sample size of the type of play he’s been able to bring to the Chiefs.
With free agency looming, the Chiefs are surely preparing to dish out a large sum of money to Brown in order to keep him long term. Should they, though? For some, it is an easy answer, but there does seem to be some people who don’t think Brown should be paid like a top tackle.
Will Orlando Brown be with KC Chiefs in 2022?
Orlando Brown seems to be one of the more slam-dunk returning free agents and he was already named a priority by Brett Veach in an earlier press conference to kick off the offseason. Barring something drastic, he should be back. I’m not going to drag out the question of whether or not he’s going to be here because it is fairly obvious but since there are going to be people who aren’t satisfied, we have to take a glance from both sides and for the scenario in which Brown somehow isn’t in Kansas City we have to be prepared.
At the very least, he isn’t walking for nothing. The franchise tag will likely be applied to Brown to open up free agency which means he can stay for another season at minimum or the Chiefs could flip him for more assets. From the tag, the Chiefs will have exclusive rights to hammer out a new deal with him.
Now, to be dramatic, let’s look at the case to bring back Orlando Brown and the case to let him walk.
Why Keep Him?
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Orlando Brown had a pretty good year in 2021. He had his early struggles when adjusting to a brand new scheme on a brand new team but a lot of people seem to unfairly judge Brown based on his early hiccups when in all reality he settled in quite nicely. As the season went on he didn’t let Mahomes’ deep drop-backs affect him too much and started playing more comfortable, putting people in the ground more. Left tackle play just gets held under a microscope so Brown’s lowlights resonate more in the minds of fans more than other players.
It would also be really bad resource management to give up all those picks for Brown only to let him go and then have to spend more big assets on another left tackle. If Brown goes, left tackle immediately becomes the No. 1 need and in an offseason where you already have a lot of needs it is just irresponsible. Furthermore, it’s not like Brown was so bad that you just have no choice to move on. He played admirably in year one with the Chiefs.
Brown is also still really young and could improve even more as he matures and could maybe even make things easier for himself by shedding some weight by training camp. Overall, Brown has a bright future and the Chiefs don’t have a ton of options if they fro some reason decided to let him walk.
Why let him go?
We don’t know where Brown’s head is at when it comes to contract demands, but if he wants to be paid like a top left tackle, like really expensive, then I could see some second thoughts going through the heads of important people in the organization. I think Brown is a piece for the future but he isn’t quite a top left tackle yet. Speed rushers seem to have an easier time getting around him but that’s something he can still get better at.
The one other reason the Chiefs could let him walk is a scenario where someone they really like is attainable or available in the draft or somewhere around the league. Maybe? Otherwise, there’s not much to discuss here.
Conclusion
All signs seem to be pointing towards Brown returning to the Chiefs in 2022. If not, then something went terribly wrong.
Is Orlando Brown as good as Trent Williams? No. Is Orlando Brown an elite left tackle? No. However, he could be a very, very good left tackle and he shouldn’t completely break the bank like the team was willing to do with Williams in free agency last spring.
Brown’s versatility as someone who can play both tackle spots and can effectively pass-block and run-block also shouldn’t be overlooked. Fans were hard on him early on, understandably, after he said he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch Patrick Mahomes, but he came on strong after the first few weeks. Dare I say he made me feel more comfortable than I was a lot of times with Eric Fisher going up against good competition?
I also just don’t really know what the plan would be if Brown isn’t on the Chiefs after free agency. If the Chiefs had to replace Brown in the offseason, not only does it set them back but there’s not a great chance that whoever they find would ever be better than Brown. The Chiefs have no other option. An extension is certain.
Prediction
The Chiefs sign Orlando brown to a 5-year $100 million extension.