Getty Orlando Brown of the Baltimore Ravens
The Chicago Bears need a quarterback, to be sure, but that’s just the tip of a very long iceberg. The team also needs to revamp its offensive line, big time, and one NFL analyst has floated a young and talented name as a potential way to address Chicago’s dire need at left tackle specifically.
Adam Rank of NFL.com has found one of the more intriguing names for Chicago to go after this offseason: Baltimore Ravens two-time Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
Rank, who is also a Bears fan, knows how much a few young brutes on the o-line would benefit the Bears, and Brown would be a solid addition alongside the likes of James Daniels and Cody Whitehair.
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!
Rank Thinks Brown Solves Bears Problem at Left Tackle
Germain Ifedi spent the last season at right tackle for the Bears, and while he performed better than he had in Seattle in recent years, the Bears still need a significant upgrade at the position. Enter Brown.
Here’s Rank’s reasoning for why Chicago should attempt to snag Brown via trade:
“It seems more and more likely Brown — who doesn’t want to go back to manning the right side — is going to be moved this offseason. And while most of the focus for a team like Chicago is looking for an improvement at quarterback, fixing the offensive line is just as big an issue. If the Bears could make a deal to get Brown and put him at left tackle, that solves so many issues for the team. Not the quarterback position. But the guy coming in to play QB (Marcus Mariota? Gardner Minshew?) will have a better chance to succeed. Honestly, though, at age 24 with two Pro Bowl bids to his name, Brown is one of those guys that everybody in the league should be kicking the tires on.
Brown Wants to Play LT
Brown, who played right tackle his first two seasons in the league, is capable of playing on both the right and left sides, but he clearly has a preference. The 6-8, 345-pound lineman caused a slight stir when he took to Twitter last fall to comment on where he would prefer to be playing: “I’m a LEFT tackle,” he Tweeted. He then thanked Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta in a separate Tweet in an attempt to clarify:
“It’s never been about the money,” Brown also wrote on Twitter last year. “I’m so appreciative for this organization and all my teammates. I couldn’t thank DeCosta enough, he’s a incredible football mind and one the best men I know. I want to live out the dream my dad had for me.”
Brown’s father, Orlando Brown Sr., played the same position in the league with the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Ravens from 1993-2005, and his son has already eclipsed him, making two Pro Bowls in his first three seasons. Brown has yet to miss a game in his young career, so he would be worth kicking the tires on if you’re the Bears, particularly because according to ESPN, the young offensive lineman is currently exploring trade possibilities.
Baltimore selected Brown in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, and he is entering the final year of his rookie deal. It would probably take a talented young player and/or a high draft pick to lure Brown away from Baltimore. Despite rumblings from Brown’s camp, the Ravens have made no mention of trading him, however. Still, he would be an excellent addition to the offensive line if Chicago could be savvy enough to try and snag him.
READ NEXT: Bears All-Pros Have Strong Reactions to Russell Wilson Rumors