The Chiefs and general manager Brett Veach didn’t want to wait around for next week’s NFL Draft to fill the vacancy at left tackle on their offensive line, sending their first-round selection and three other picks to Baltimore in exchange for Orlando Brown Jr.
Kansas City will send Baltimore the No. 31 pick along with a third-round (No. 94), fourth-round (No. 136) and 2022 fifth-round pick. The Chiefs will receive Brown along with a second-round selection (No. 58) in next week’s draft and a 2022 sixth-round pick. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the terms of the deal.
Less than two hours before news of the trade broke, Veach hinted the Chiefs were in the market for a left tackle on the trade market.
“There’s some names that have been floating around and we’ll continue to have dialogue,” Veach said. “Obviously I would say that things aren’t quite there yet, but there’s a lot of time between now and next Thursday.”
The addition of Brown fills a large void in the Kansas City lineup that otherwise appears poised for another Super Bowl run. The Chiefs released veteran Eric Fisher as part of a salary cap move in March, and appeared likely to target tackle in next week’s draft. Brown, however, gives the Chiefs a much-needed veteran presence on the left side of the line to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The 6-foot-8, 345-pound Brown entered the league as the Ravens’ third-round selection in 2018 from Oklahoma. Brown stepped in as a starter for the Ravens at right tackle during this rookie season. Last year Brown move to left tackle after Ronnie Stanley went down with a season-ending injury. With Stanley set to return to left tackle this season, Brown expressed interest in remaining at left tackle and the Ravens began shopping for interest around the league.
Brown ranked 25th in the league among all tackles last season according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed just two sacks and one quarterback hit last season and didn’t yield any sacks at left tackle while playing 823 snaps there in 2020.
The addition of Brown brings a bit more clarity to the Chiefs’ offensive line plans for the 2021 season. The club earlier this offseason acquire Pro Bowl guard Joe Thuney, whom on Friday Veach said can play any of the three interior line positions for the Chiefs. Veach suggested on Friday Thuney could move to center, which would provide the Chiefs a range of options at guard. That group includes Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Andrew Wylie, Nick Allegretti, Kyle Long and Austin Blythe. Lucas Niang, the club’s 2020 third-round selection, is a likely candidate to compete with Mike Remmers for the right tackle position.
Brown has one year remaining on his rookie contract, which brings a cap hit of $3.384 million for the Chiefs this season. With the Chiefs surrendering a first-round choice in the trade, the club would expect to work towards a long-term extension for Brown in the near future. The club also has the option of using the franchise tag on Brown next offseason to extend the negotiation window.
The Chiefs are now left with six selections in next week’s NFL Draft
- Second round No. 58 overall
- Second round No. 63 overall
- Fourth round No. 144 overall
- Fifth round No. 175 overall
- Fifth round No. 181 overall
- Sixth round No. 207 overall
