Cap room for him? Not really, but moves could be made.
Draft capital for him? Maybe, but we're awfully low in the draft.
Tunsil trade (For record-keeping purposes, the trade saw the Dolphins acquire first-round picks in 2020 and 2021 and a second-round pick in 2021 along with offensive tackle Julién Davenport and defensive back Johnson Bademosi in exchange for Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills, a 2020 fourth-round pick and a 2021 sixth-round selection.)
It only took the Ravens a little over a year to learn their selection of Orlando Brown was a wise one, but they've met a new challenge with the tackle that could be their last.
Brown has expressed his desire to be traded, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday. After spending the majority of 2020 on the left side in place of the injured Ronnie Stanley, Brown has found his comfort zone and does not want to return to the right side. He'll only play for a team that will line him up at his preferred left tackle position, per Rapoport.
Rapoport added the Ravens value Brown significantly and would need major compensation in order to do a deal.
Brown's background is on the left side, but he ended up in Baltimore as a right tackle after a poor pre-draft showing saw him slide from a first-round projection to an eventual third-round pick of the Ravens. He blossomed in 2019 and especially in 2020 after switching to the left side to replace Stanley, earning his second straight trip to the Pro Bowl -- and first as an initial selection. Thanks to Brown's quick adjustment to the left side of the line, Baltimore didn't lose much in offensive production following Stanley's injury, finishing as the league's No. 1 rushing offense for a second straight season.
Brown's success on the left side and desire to remain there might very well also be tied to the financial ramifications of the tackle position. As it currently stands, there is a $5 million per year difference between the league's highest-paid right tackle (Philadelphia's Lane Johnson) and left tackle (Green Bay's David Bakhtiari). Of the top 10 highest-paid tackles in the NFL (in terms of average salary per year), only two -- Johnson and Las Vegas' Trent Brown -- are right tackles.
Orlando Brown missed out on significant money typically afforded to first-round picks right around the moment when he racked the bar after just 14 bench-press reps during a nightmarish 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. He's made a little over $1.8 million in base salary total in his first three seasons, and though he will see a significant boost in 2021 (base salary of $3.38 million) due to the structure of his rookie deal, that's still an incredibly far cry from where tackles of his level land in compensation ranking.
After demonstrating his ability to effectively handle the transition from right to left tackle -- a return to his roots, essentially -- Brown is in a prime position to capitalize financially and beyond. He'll maximize his earning potential by remaining a left tackle, and he'll probably enjoy playing the game a bit more in a stance and vantage point that's more familiar to him, anyway.
If that doesn't fit in Baltimore, the Ravens will have to move him. And though this isn't exactly the best way to ensure maximum leverage in a deal, they'll probably still get a haul for him. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BossChief:
I’m pretty sure he’s retiring.
Wouldn’t be surprised if he opens a restaurant in KC. He loves cooking and we love our food.
I’m not sure, he’s seems pretty dedicated in keeping up with his health and rehab. I’ll be on the optimistic side. I see a guy training his ass off every day, I don’t think it’s to flip burgers. [Reply]
Originally Posted by In58men:
I’m not sure, he’s seems pretty dedicated in keeping up with his health and rehab. I’ll be on the optimistic side. I see a guy training his ass off every day, I don’t think it’s to flip burgers.
He’s training his ass off everyday because he’s going through rehab with the idea of resuming a normal life. It has nothing to do with resuming his football career. [Reply]
Schwartz didn’t rule out a return to the chiefs. He said he’s a FA so he can sign with whoever including the Chiefs. He loves the KC area and made it forever home. I can see him coming back or retiring [Reply]
Originally Posted by MAHOMO 4 LIFE!:
Schwartz didn’t rule out a return to the chiefs. He said he’s a FA so he can sign with whoever including the Chiefs. He loves the KC area and made it forever home. I can see him coming back or retiring
Schwartz is a RT, where we’ve already resigned Remmers and have Niang to compete. Unless you think he can return to his previous top form I’m not sure signing Schwartz and having 3 right tackles on the roster and no left tackle is a good allocation of resources. [Reply]
It’s clear by now that the K.C. Chiefs aren’t going to be enjoying their top choice at left tackle heading into the 2021 regular season. From the outset of NFL free agency, the Chiefs made it readily apparent that veteran tackle Trent Williams was the preferred selection to protect the blindside of Patrick Mahomes. Unfortunately, despite clearing the requisite cap space and making an all-out effort to recruit him away from San Francisco, the 49ers ended up convincing him to re-sign for several more seasons.
In that moment, the Chiefs were forced to go with any Plan B that remained on the table. Those of us outside of Arrowhead Stadium aren’t exactly sure what that plan entails, even a full month after the failed attempt to lure Williams to K.C., but it seems as though everything beyond comes with considerable question marks.
If the Chiefs are looking at the current crop of veterans available, the injury concerns of Russell Okung or the lower ceiling of Alejandro Villanueva are about as exciting as things get based on current players available.
If the Chiefs want to go with an in-house option, the ceiling looks even lower considering that it will be either rookie tackle Lucas Niang switching sides and playing in the pros for the first time ever (after also taking a year off). Or perhaps the team decides to shove the likes of Martinas Rankin or Yasir Durant outside. Yeah, as we said, this isn’t good.
Trading for Orlando Brown remains the KC Chiefs best way to fix left tackle.
If the Chiefs wanted to draft someone, perhaps that’s the best play here, but of course, relying on a rookie left tackle to protect the game’s best quarterback could be quite the mixed bag moving forward.
While the likeliest solution will feature a blend of the aforementioned options, it all comes with considerable questions. That is, unless the Chiefs can convince an AFC rival to make a trade with them. If that’s the case, their best course of action would be to trade with the Baltimore Ravens for offensive tackle Orlando Brown, Jr.
Exactly one month ago, an unnamed source told NFL reporter Mike Garafolo that six teams had shown an interest in potentially trading for Brown. If that holds true today, four weeks later, then the Chiefs are likely on the outs given that fact that the Ravens have little incentive to make the Chiefs roster better, even if they paid a fair asking price. However with six suitors, that also means that any team who wins him is going to have to pay quite a bit in order to earn the rights to also pay him an handsome extension given that he’s finishing up his rookie contract in ’21.
Would the Chiefs be willing to trade their first-round pick in the upcoming draft for Brown? That wouldn’t be a bad move at all if you’re K.C. Instead of hoping you can snag the fourth to sixth best offensive tackle in the class, you get a guy who is a proven performer who is hungry to play the left side full time. In fact, he’s already done so at a high level for a contending team.
What if the Ravens ask for multiple picks? It might feel painful but the only major question mark on this roster is at left tackle. Even other areas like defensive end and wide receiver could be fixed with a veteran signing and certainly the Chiefs will also add more talent via the draft given that they have eight total picks. What if the Chiefs were to trade a 1st and a 4th? Would that get it done? That’s a solid haul for the Ravens for a player demanding a trade away, but it also leaves the Chiefs with six more picks to make over draft weekend.
Unless the Ravens are determined to either make it work with Brown for the long-term and convince him to play right tackle, or unless they’re refusing to work with the Chiefs in any way, a trade here make the most sense for K.C. in terms of fixing their greatest concerns. Yes there are multiple areas of the roster to address but only one could really stall the team’s plans from getting to a third consecutive Super Bowl. A trade for Brown would be an excellent consolation prize after the unsuccessful pursuit of signing Trent Williams. [Reply]