Days before the 2021 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs made another splash this off-season by agreeing to terms that send an All-Pro offensive tackle to One Arrowhead Drive that will protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side.
As reported by NFL Networks’ Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo on Friday afternoon, the Baltimore Ravens have agreed to send their star offensive tackle Orlando Brown along with a 2021 second-round selection (58th overall) and a 2022 sixth-round pick to Kansas City.
In return, the Chiefs are trading away their 2021 first-round pick (31st overall), a third-round pick (94th overall), a fourth-round (136th overall), as well as a fifth-round selection in 2022.
Both the Chiefs and Ravens announced the trade will be final pending a physical.
It’s a bold and excellent move that Kansas City has pulled off, dropping approximately 27 slots and giving up a few mid-round selections in order to fill the biggest need on their entire roster. The Chiefs will now have five new offensive-line starters to start the 2021 season after Tampa Bay harassed Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl 55.
The move to trade for Brown was made after Kansas City previously signed guard Joe Thuney to a five-year, $80 million deal through free agency. As well as center Austin Blyth and tackle Kyle Long, who came out of retirement earlier this offseason.
At 6-feet-8-inches and 355 pounds, Brown has been an absolute brick wall for the Ravens since they drafted him in the third round of the 2018 draft. In three seasons, Brown started 42 games at both right and left tackle and proved he can be a stellar pass and run blocker at both positions.
After playing on the right side of the o-line during his first two seasons, Brown switched to the other side to play left tackle in 2020, replacing an injured Ronnie Stanley. Like his father before him, Brown upped his game on the left side of the offensive line and earned a second bid to the Pro Bowl.
Wanting to remain as a left tackle — and eventually, be paid like one — Brown refused to return to the right side and requested to be traded when Ravens brass informed him that Stanley would return to his regular role as Lamar Jackson’s blindside protector when he returns.
Although Brown was Baltimore’s best tackle, they were willing to trade him away at the right price, and they got one when it was Kansas City who called them up. Initially, there wasn’t a huge market willing to negotiate with the Ravens for Brown’s services because it was known that it’d take a lot of cash and draft capital to make it happen. It also wasn’t a secret that the 24-year-old star lineman is eventually looking to get a huge payday.
After releasing both Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz due to injury and salary cap reasons, the addition of Brown fills a major need for a strong offensive tackle. That means Kansas City will have a top-caliber tackle that will defend Mahomes’ blindside for at least the 2021 season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent the following off-season.
In the meantime, Kansas City has completely revamped its offensive line situation after the unit suffered some major struggles against the Buccaneers’ pass rush during the Super last season.
