Unlike previous seasons, when the Cincinnati Bengals have had glaring concerns that caused things to go sideways, Cincinnati enters 2026 with renewed optimism.
While there may still be questions about the team’s overall defense, improvements should be expected after this offseason’s transactions. Meanwhile, the offensive line, which has been an area of concern throughout Joe Burrow’s entire tenure with the team, showed signs of improvement last season and will now feature the same five starters in 2026.
However, one of those starters has been called out prior to the season as a potential concern for the 2026 Bengals.
Cincinnati Bengals Starter Called Out
When previewing the 2026 Cincinnati Bengals, ESPN’s Ben Baby listed Orlando Brown Jr. as the team’s biggest concern. Baby wrote: “Last year, Orlando Brown Jr. was still feeling the effects of a broken leg he suffered in 2024. He is looking for a return to pre-injury form at LT.”
Baby added of the overall state of the tackle position on Cincinnati’s roster, “If he (Orlando Brown Jr.) or starter Amarius Mims goes down, the depth will be tested. The preseason didn’t yield a true winner for the swing tackle job. The Bengals claimed Myles Hinton on waivers to potentially fill that role.”
Brown Jr. originally signed with the Cincinnati Bengals prior to the 2023 season on a four-year, $64 million contract. Since then, he has started 45 games for the Bengals. While Brown Jr. has not made a Pro Bowl with the Bengals, after earning Pro Bowl selections in each of his four seasons before joining the team, he did earn a two-year, $32 million contract extension this offseason. After this latest contract extension, Brown Jr.’s career earnings will be over $119 million.
Last season, Brown Jr. earned a 60.3 overall PFF grade, 66th among 89 qualified offensive tackles. His pass-blocking grade of 62.0 ranked 63rd among 89 qualified offensive tackles. His run-blocking grade of 59.8 ranked 61st at the position.
Orlando Brown Jr. Concern
Despite the low grade from Pro Football Focus, Cincinnati still appears confident in its tackle, as evidenced by the previously mentioned two-year extension.
However, Brown Jr. did show some signs of rust during the team’s first preseason game. During the team’s game against the Lions, Brown Jr. was beaten by a Lions undrafted rookie pass rusher, who then delivered a big hit on Joe Burrow. Whether that hit had any impact on Cincinnati’s starters not playing in the following two preseason games was not revealed.
Following the preseason game, head coach Zac Taylor defended his offensive lineman, saying “I think anytime something doesn’t go perfectly, he wears it and takes ownership for it. I think anytime Joe gets hit, all those guys are trying to figure out what they can do better. And we all are. None of us want to be in that position. And there’s things that we can always do to help those guys work.”
Hopefully, the rust is off by Sunday, when Cincinnati takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their Week 1 opener.
Bengals $119 Million Starter Put on Notice Before Week 1