Should Colts trade for Ravens star tackle Orlando Brown?
By Mike Luciano
Indianapolis Colts GM Chris Ballard will need to get a new left tackle after the retirement of Anthony Castonzo, but a potential solution to this issue might’ve become available in Baltimore Ravens stud Orlando Brown Jr. While Lamar Jackson is clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the game today, a major reason the Ravens have been so dominant because of Brown’s play.
The mammoth offensive lineman has become one of the game’s premier right tackles. However, Brown was forced to shift back over to left tackle last season, as an injury to All-Pro Ronnie Stanley necessitated the move. In each of the last two seasons, Brown has been named as a Pro Bowl lineman.
Knowing that left tackles get paid more than right tackles, and already having proved that he’s capable of making the switch, Brown appears to be looking for a way out of Baltimore in order to make the change to LT full time. After Brown tweeted his desire to only play left tackle, reports have surfaced that he wants to be traded. Could a move to Indy be in his future?
Sources: #Ravens OT Orlando Brown wants to be traded. After tweeting his desire to only play left tackle – he filled in there for Ronnie Stanley and shined this season – Brown will only play for a team that will play him at his preferred spot. Baltimore would need a major haul.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 10, 2021
Orlando Brown could end up on the Colts if the price is right.
Brown, the son of former Browns and Ravens tackle Orlando “Zeus” Brown, was projected by many to be a first-round pick after a terrific college career at Oklahoma, but he slid all the way down to the third round after one of the worst combine performances ever. Luckily, he showed how misleading the underwear Olympics can be and became an instant star.
The Colts will need to prepare a substantial offer for Brown, a task that could become tougher if they end up using their draft capital to secure a quarterback like Carson Wentz via trade. The Laremy Tunsil deal also made it much more difficult for teams to acquire for standout offensive linemen at a decent price.
In this deal, the Colts would get Brown, which would instantly make the left side of their line the best in the NFL given the presence of Quenton Nelson. Baltimore, meanwhile, would get two premium draft picks that could help them get Jackson some better wide receivers, all the while landing a replacement for Brown in Braden Smith.
You might say this is too much because Brown is a year away from free agency, but so is Smith. And here, the Colts would get an extremely cost-effective year from Brown, have dibs on extending him upon consummation of the trade, and could then re-group and either sign a right tackle or draft one. In the end, Brown’s going to cost a number of high picks. That’s just the way it is.
If Ballard wants to really put this team in the Super Bowl tier, the Colts need to get someone like Brown to protect the next QB that comes to town. It’ll cost a lot to do it, and Brown’s experience at left tackle has been limited to a handful of games, but it’s a plunge the Colts might have to take.
