After the Bengals announced his two-year extension that he negotiated himself, left tackle and captain Orlando Brown Jr. had some up-close perspective Thursday on the first hours of free agency.
Brown is the most impacted by former NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson’s move to the Ravens for a reported $112 million over the next four years now that their training camp bouts are going to be official twice a season.
Plus, he played for a year with new Bengals safety Bryan Cook in Kansas City and prepared for new pass rusher Boye Mafe when the Bengals played Seattle in 2023.
Brown had to laugh when asked if it’s the tackle or the rusher who has the edge from familiarity.
“That’s hard to say, but I will tell you I’m excited to kick some ass,” Brown said. “So I don’t really care who I’m lining up against, but I don’t know who the edge goes to, but I’m excited for the matchup.
“It will be a lot of fun. We’ve had a lot of battles over the years in some really big games when I was in Kansas City. It will be a lot of fun.”
No question there’s huge respect between Brown and Hendrickson. There’s also more tape on them mixing it up than Ali and Frazier.
When they played each other twice in 2022, once in the Bengals’ 27-24 win at Paycor Stadium and once in the Chiefs’ 23-20 win in the AFC championship game in Kansas City, Hendrickson didn’t have a sack. He did have three hits on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Cincinnati, but didn’t get to him in the championship game.
“It’s just kind of our approach to the game of football. It’s who he is,” Brown said. “I think about the first time I played him when I was in Kansas City in the AFC championship. To be honest, we fought there, too. That’s just the way our approach is. And I’m sure the film will reflect that when we suit up.”
The next time they face each other, they’ve also got some security. While Hendrickson turned out to be national news for half a day in the crosshairs of the Maxx Crosby crisis, Brown quietly did his own deal last month and is now in the fold through 2028.
“I think it’s great. I’m happy for him,” Brown said. “He earned that contract. It’s a great situation for him. Now we get to see him twice a year.”
That 2022 season was Cook’s rookie year with the Chiefs, and Brown says, “He’s going to bring a ton of great energy. He’s a fierce competitor. He loves the game. He’s got a lot of personality. You’ve just got to get it out of him a little bit. It might take a little time, but I remember when he first got to Kansas City, he was immediately in the mix in terms of just being a guy in the locker room that vets respected. He worked his tail off. He’s about his business.”
Looking back on the Bengals’ 17-13 win over Seattle at Paycor in 2023, Brown remembered being surprised that Mafe played only 30 snaps. He didn’t get him much (Mafe’s sack that day came unblocked from the right side), but he saw enough.
“I will tell you, studying the film that year, really special, really special,” Brown said. “Just in terms of his burst, he has a great inside move. He does a great job with his hands transitioning in his rushes. I haven’t necessarily watched a ton of film on him last year, but what I did see, that potential is still there and even more now.”