Getty Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
Thanks to an overhaul along the offensive line this offseason, which included signings, trades, and draft picks, the Kansas City Chiefs’ play in the trenches is much improved this season compared to last season.
One of the players that have led to the improvement is starting left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who was part of a trade with the Baltimore Ravens that sent Brown and a second-round pick to the Chiefs and four draft picks to Baltimore, one of which was a first-rounder, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. While the payment for Brown was significant, the payoff has also been significant for the defending AFC champions.
Through four games, Brown has given up just six hurries, four hits, and one sack on 170 pass-block snaps, according to PFF. To put that into perspective — the players being blocked by Brown are only affecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes in a negative manner on 6% of his drop-backs.
Those stats are tremendous and should make defenses worried about how they will get into Kansas City’s backfield from the left side of the Chiefs’ offensive line. However, what should have opposing teams scared is Brown’s latest comment regarding his own play.
ALL the latest Chiefs news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Chiefs newsletter here!
Brown: I’m Not Close to Play My Best Football
Headed into Week 5, when the Chiefs will take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night Football, Brown was asked during his Wednesday, October 6 press conference to assess his own play during his first month as Kansas City’s full-time starting left tackle.
“It’s hard to say — I don’t want to look too much into that,” Brown said. “I know what I definitely want to get to, I’ve spoke with you guys about getting to that point of being a top tackle in this league. I’m getting there, man, I’m working each and every day, working each and every week. I feel like I’m better each and every game. I’m not even close to playing my best football yet.”
When specifically asked about protecting Mahomes’ blindside, Brown feels that he has continued to improve, but is still a work in progress.
“Yeah, absolutely man. I definitely feel it’s something that’s gotten better, and we’ve gotten better as an offense and offensive line as the weeks have gone on since we’ve been here and we’ve been able to grow together, learn together,” he said. “Learning from coach [Andy] Heck and all those different things, so we’re all just trying to do our job to the best of our abilities.”
Brown’s Comments Should Terrify Pass-Rushers
If Brown really does believe that he is far from a finished product then that should scare the heck out of opposing pass-rushers. As a Pro Bowler two out of the four seasons he’s been in the league, with the potential of him getting another nod in his fourth season, Brown is already playing at a high level. But to think that he’s only scratched the surface of what he’s capable of is something to get excited about if you’re part of Chiefs Kingdom.
With just four full games under his belt as a member of the Chiefs, there’s still a lot of football left for the 25-year-old tackle in a Kansas City uniform. And if he continues to improve moving forward, then there should be some All-Pro seasons ahead for Brown.