Cincinnati Bengals Could Reunite With Familiar Face in Quest to Protect Joe Burrow

CINCINNATI — Could the Bengals reunite with a familiar face?

The Houston Texans are releasing veteran offensive tackle Trent Brown on Tuesday. He signed with Houston in March after spending last year in Cincinnati.

Brown made three starts for the Bengals last year before suffering a torn patellar tendon in Cincinnati's Week 3 loss to Washington.

He posted a 65.2 overall grade during his short amount of playing time with the Bengals last season according to Pro Football Focus.

If he's healthy, he'd be an ideal swing tackle for the Bengals. Brown is a big offensive lineman that can pass protect at a high level. Adding him would give Cincinnati a proven third offensive tackle behind Orlando Brown Jr. and Amarius Mims. It would also allow Cody Ford to serve as their backup left and right guard.

Brown expressed interest in returning to Cincinnati before signing with Houston.

The Bengals are certainly on the hunt for more offensive line help. Adding a proven piece like Brown would make a ton of sense for a team that is lacking tackle depth.

UPDATE: Brown is expected to sign with the Texans practice squad and will rejoin the 53-man roster in the coming weeks according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Veteran Addition?

The Bengals brought in Dalton Risner for a workout last week. The veteran guard would've likely served as Lucas Patrick's backup following Cordell Volson's season-ending injury.

With Ford backing up both offensive tackle spots and rookie Jalen Rivers looking comfortable at guard, the Bengals could decide to kick Ford back inside and add a swing tackle like Brown.

The Bengals have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to trim their roster to 53 players. Brown isn't subject to waivers because he's a vested veteran. He'll be free to sign with a team after his release becomes official.

More line changes in Houston: Texans are releasing veteran offensive lineman Trent Brown.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 26, 2025

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