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Although some would argue that it’s Tyrann Mathieu, Orlando Brown Jr. is probably the Kansas City Chiefs most important impending free agent this offseason.
General manager Brett Veach sacrificed a first-round pick to get him and he plays a premium position, as Patrick Mahomes’ left tackle. He also led all Chiefs free agents in snap percentage (94.4%) according to Over the Cap — a good measure of overall team worth.
Brown is expected to make nine figures if he signs an extension and he’s someone that Kansas City would like to keep happy during contract negotiations. That’s why his recent Twitter outburst could be somewhat concerning.
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Brown: ‘Most of Y’all Don’t Even Know the Basics’
On February 15, the Chiefs’ blindside blocker blasted NFL fans — and potentially KC supporters in particular — for their lack of understanding when it comes to O-line play.
Brown wrote: “It really bothers me seeing some of y’all talk about OL play. No one puts anything in perspective. Scheme fits, body types, talent, etc…Some of your best OLs fundamentals are unorthodox! The problem is most of y’all don’t even know the basics.”
Although it’s unclear if his anger was directed at critics from Chiefs Kingdom or NFL Twitter in general, frustration appeared to boil over for Brown.
The left tackle made the Pro Bowl in 2021, his third straight nomination, after another 16-start campaign that does not include playoff appearances. Not only has he been an ironman since joining the league in 2018, but he’s also been consistent.
Brown has never earned a pass-blocking grade below 74.2 on Pro Football Focus and he’s had an overall score above 73.5 since 2019. He has not been as dominant as a run-blocker but the former third-rounder has been solid. In 2021 with the Chiefs, Brown was credited with the second-highest run-blocking grade of his career.
Despite all of this, the offensive lineman takes a ton of heat on social media for his 46 quarterback pressures and six sacks allowed. That yields a PFF pass protection efficiency rate of 97.0%, which ranks tied for 11th in the NFL at OT (minimum 80% of snaps played).
Keep in mind that Brown accomplished all of this after switching his position from right tackle to left this season, a transition that is not easy to make.
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Wedding Plans for Brown, KC
It’s never great to hear a key asset air his grievances on social media but that shouldn’t change the fact that a long-term marriage between the Chiefs and Brown is likely.
During his press conference after the AFC championship loss, Veach made it sound like extending his left tackle was the number one offseason priority. When asked, the GM stated that “[Brown and Mathieu will] certainly be at the top of the list of things we have to work through.”
Later on, he added: “Once you get the quarterback, you’re going to invest in the O-line and D-line. I think we did that early on with [Chris] Jones and [Frank] Clark and [Jarran] Reed, and on the offensive line with [Joe] Thuney and [Orlando] Brown. I don’t think it’s far-fetched to think that we’ll prioritize the lines like we always do. Knowing that we have a good offensive line in place, [and] defensive line, probably makes the most sense.”
While a franchise tag is always on the table for Brown, Veach did give one final seal of approval during this presser.
He voiced: “[Brown’s] another unique character too where when you talk about a culture and when you talk about a guy that does everything the right way — Orlando Brown’s in the category. The guy never misses practice, he’s as dependable as there is. That Cincinnati game that we played in the regular season, it killed him that he couldn’t play, and he actually came back on the field and wanted to play with a pulled calf muscle. I think he’s done a great job at left tackle. We’ll certainly work and get him done. We expect him to be our left tackle moving forward.”
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