The Bengals don’t have much margin for error when it comes to protecting Joe Burrow, and Orlando Brown Jr. is the veteran who needs to steady the ship.
Cincinnati enters the season with the expectation that its defense will be better and its offense can still function as a top-10 unit as long as Burrow stays healthy. That’s the big if, though. Burrow’s durability remains the one thing that keeps him from the very top of the quarterback conversation, and the Bengals have spent too many recent seasons making life harder on him than it needs to be.
Brown was supposed to be part of the solution when he arrived in 2023, and on paper he still is. He worked out his own three-year extension this offseason and even structured it in a team-friendly way to stay in Cincinnati for the long haul.
But the production has been more steady than special. Brown has been a solid starter for the Bengals, not the dominant force he was in his four Pro Bowl seasons before coming to the Queen City.
There are warning signs, too. While PFF grades are not the final word on offensive line play, they do paint a picture, and Brown’s numbers have trended in the wrong direction.
That makes what happened in the preseason opener against the Detroit Lions stand out even more. Brown was beaten badly by undrafted rookie defensive end Eric O'Neill, who had just 2.5 sacks for Rutgers in 2025.
O'Neill is unlikely to make Detroit’s 53-man roster, but he still got to Burrow in the pocket and hit him around the upper body.
That kind of rep is exactly what Cincinnati does not want to see from a tackle who is supposed to be anchoring the blind side.
The pressure ramps up again in Week 2 of the preseason, when the Bears come to Paycor Stadium on Saturday. Brown is expected to see some mix of Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo, and Odeyingbo in particular brings the kind of power and inside versatility that can create problems with stunts and movement up front. That matchup, along with joint practice work, gives Brown another chance to calm the noise around his play.
He’ll need to. The Bengals do not have a deep stash of plug-and-play options waiting behind him, and swing tackle remains one of the weaker spots on a roster that is otherwise loaded. Keeping Brown serviceable and keeping Amarius Mims on the field matters a lot for this offense.
If Brown doesn’t settle in, Cincinnati may need to look for more help at tackle after final roster cuts. With Burrow already carrying enough injury concern on his own, the Bengals are flirting with danger at a premium spot that has to hold up.
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