Orlando Brown Jr. Makes BOLD Declaration About Bengals Offensive Line Ahead of 2026 Season

The Bengals' offensive line took a nice step forward last season, and starting offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is very confident in that unit going forward.

He appeared on the Locked On Bengals Podcast this week and declared Cincinnati has the best pass-blocking offensive line in the NFL. Now, that's just factually untrue.

Still A Lot To Prove

Jun 10, 2025; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras (64) lines up with the offensive line at the line of scrimmage against the defensive line during practice at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kareem Elgazzar-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bengals were better last season, but still ranked 26th in Pro Football Focus's pass block grading, 28th in ESPN's Pass-Block Win Rate (58% of blocks completed), and 11th in sack rate allowed (5.3%).

Anyway you slice it, that unit was far from the best in the NFL as they return all five starters this fall.

"I really think, and I say this confidently, I really feel like we got the best pass protection unit in the NFL," Brown said on the podcast. "There aren't a lot of groups that could come do what we do on a week-to-week basis and have the success that we've had, especially with the circumstances. As you guys know, pass protection is the hardest thing to do in the sport, in my opinion. Probably outside of a few other things like playing quarterback and man-to-man coverage at corner … Our unit is so strong in pass protection."

It echoes his sentiments in our chat earlier this offseason. Brown is very confident in his skills after playing so many snaps on a pass-protecting island over the past few seasons.

"What's most important for our unit is growing, honestly, in so many areas," Brown said to Cincinnati Bengals On SI in May about the next step for the offensive line. "I think taking that next step to kind of kill this narrative in the media, and I don't want that to be misconstrued with our approach. But we are top dogs, and we got a really special unit, and to be honest, like there isn't a lot of guys across the NFL that could play in this Bengal system and be as good as they are on a different team, just based on what's asked of us from a tackle standpoint, our centers and guards.

"Anybody who plays this sport will tell you, pass protection is the hardest thing to do, and the fact that you've got five guys who are leading their position in one-on-one pass blocks across the board throughout the course of a season. That's rare. And so for us, it's about us setting the tone."

Brown has posted lagging Pro Football Focus grades of 60.3 and 58.2 overall in the past two seasons.

Still, this coming season, he could bump right back into the 70s (where he consistently sat during his Kansas City and Baltimore tenures) if the whole unit can continue gelling as they did down the stretch of last season.

Check out the full chat with Brown here.

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