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Orlando Brown Jr is a Cincinnati Bengal. And with his signing, comes a few questions about the offensive line. But none bigger than who is going to play right tackle.
Following Wednesday night’s big news, Jonah Williams was immediately penciled in at right tackle. But on Friday, reports were released stating Williams was seeking a trade in the wake of Brown’s signing.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport stated that Williams will have a market and a deal could come prior to the draft. If Williams is traded, who will be the day one starter at right tackle?
Cody Ford while La’el Collins recovers
Cincinnati signed Arizona’s Cody Ford on Thursday afternoon and even though he’s played mostly guard in the NFL, the Bengals announced his signing as a tackle. If Williams is moved prior to the season, Ford will likely slot in as the starting right tackle to allow a full recovery for La’el Collins. Jackson Carman could make his own case, but Ford’s signing tells you all you need to know about how much the Bengals value Carman.
The silver lining in this scenario is the comradery and familiarity between Brown Jr. and Ford as they played together at Oklahoma. While that may have been several years ago, offensive line play is about trusting your man to be where they are.
Isaiah Wynn Signs a One-Year Prove It Deal
This would also be a decently realistic option for Cincinnati. A Williams trade would free up $12.6 million, allowing Duke Tobin and company to make a few more moves. Wynn is coming off a down year in New England, battling injuries and missing seven games throughout the season. PFF charged Wynn with nine penalties, four sacks given up, and 17 total pressures in 229 pass blocking snaps.
A change of scenery would do wonders for Wynn, and you would think Cincinnati would be very interested in a veteran tackle to battle with Collins to be the right tackle for the majority of the season.
Early Round Draft Pick
TWSN’s Malik Wright has reported the Bengals would likely not target an offensive lineman early in the NFL Draft. But with Williams potentially forcing a trade, perhaps that changes. With the 28th and 60th pick, perhaps the Bengals could secure their right tackle of the future to bookend with Brown Jr.
With the size and power, the Bengals have added over the past two seasons, players like Dawand Jones and Darnell Wright make all the sense in the world. Perhaps Cincinnati could even slightly trade back to early in the second to secure either player. Another option could be Syracuse’s Matthew Bergeron. He hasn’t been as highly touted as either aforementioned options, but his game would fit in well in Cincinnati.
