Should the Jaguars Explore Trading for Ravens' Left Tackle Orlando Brown?
There is little question the Jacksonville Jaguars need to quickly find a solution to their question mark at left tackle entering 2021. Could a trade be the answer they desperately need to have before Week 1?
The Jaguars are going to need to have all options on the table when it comes to filling the void that Cam Robinson's expiring contract will leave at left tackle. Jacksonville's previous regime opted to not address the tackle positon last offseason entering Robinson's final year on his rookie deal, effectively kicking the can a year down the road.
The options to find that solution have been plentiful to this point, with most tossing around the idea of re-signing Robinson, drafting a left tackle at No. 25 overall, or signing free agent Trent Williams. But what about using their ample draft ammunition to trade for an experienced veteran such as Baltimore's Orlando Brown?
Brown has reportedly officially requested a trade from the Ravens after expressing a desire to play left tackle on a full-time basis, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Brown's trade request has been weeks in the making, with the son of former NFL left tackle Orlando Brown Sr. stating on social media that he wished to stay at left tackle moving forward after finally moving to the blind side to fill in for an injured Ronnie Stanley in 2020.
Brown started 13 games (11 regular season, 2 postseason) at left tackle for the Ravens last year, the first time in his NFL career that he was placed on the blind side.
With Brown wanting to play for a team that will let him stay at left tackle, and with the Ravens clearly placing a high price tag on Brown, do the Jaguars make sense as a team that could explore trading for him? We attempt to answer that question here.
The answer to why the Jaguars should have an interest in Brown is simple. If the Jaguars don't opt to retain Robinson, whether via a new contract or by using the franchise/transition tag, then they will have a gaping hole at left tackle.
This would be a concern for any team, but it would be especially disastrous for a Jaguars team that is projected to start a rookie quarterback next season. Just look at the beating Joe Burrow took behind the Bengals' offensive line last year to see why it is imperative the Jaguars surround their rookie with a stout line.
When ranking the veteran left tackles that are going to be available this offseason, either through free agency or a trade, Brown would pretty easily slot into the No. 2 spot behind Trent Williams. Brown has just 13 games of left tackle under his belt at the NFL level, but he has displayed terrific talent at both left and right tackle in his three years in the NFL.
Brown isn't just some offensive tackle, either. The former third-round pick will be just 25 in Week 1 next fall but already has two Pro Bowls and 42 starts on his resume. He started every single game for the Ravens over the last two seasons and was either the team's first or second-best offensive lineman during that span depending on the game. He and Stanley were one of the NFL's best tackle duos, and Brown did more than his fair share to earn that recognition.
According to Pro Football Focus, Brown allowed zero sacks and 19 pressures in his 13 games at left tackle last year -- compared to three sacks and nine pressures in five games at right tackle. He pitched shutouts in the Ravens' biggest games too, recording zero pressures in two postseason games against the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills. Brown also allowed one pressure or fewer in eight games at left tackle, according to PFF.
By comparison, Robinson allowed five sacks and 40 pressures in 16 games at left tackle in 2020. Robinson had just five games in which he allowed one pressure or fewer in 2020. Robinson has a lot more experience at left tackle since he has essentially played three full seasons at the position in the NFL, and played it at Alabama, but Brown turned in better results last season.
In short, Brown would offer an upgrade at left tackle and would give the Jaguars a young and ascending lineman who could bolster the blind side for years to come.
But would the Jaguars be able to take on his potential trade cost? The reasons listed above that make Brown an appealing player for the league's 31 other teams are the same reasons why it would likely take a hefty haul of draft picks to acquire him. Young offensive tackles with multiple Pro Bowl seasons don't come cheap, especially when the team that would have to deal him likely doesn't want to part with him to begin with.
It remains to be seen what Baltimore's asking price would be. It will likely not be as high as Laremy Tunsil's (two first-round picks, one second-round pick) was because Tunsil had significantly more experience at left tackle. With that said, he would likely require a larger trade package than Trent Williams cost the San Francisco 49ers last season (2020 fifth-round pick, 2021 third-round pick).
With this in mind, let's go ahead and project for Brown's cost to come somewhere in the middle -- a first-round pick and an additional mid-round selection.
Would the Jaguars be able to make this kind of investment in Brown considering he will also be entering a contract year? The short answer is yes. In fact, the Jaguars are one of the only teams in the NFL who have both the draft capital (11 picks in 2021, five picks in top-65) and cap flexibility (projected to have over $77 million in cap room) to make an aggressive push for Brown.
If it comes down to if Brown is worth the draft's 25th pick, it isn't a tough decision to make. Brown is a better offensive tackle than any prospect the Jaguars would be able to get at that selection; he already has multiple years of high-level play for playoff offenses under his belt. Despite him having less than a full season at left tackle, he at least has done it more often at the NFL level than every tackle prospect in the draft.
If the Jaguars don't choose to bring Robinson back, then Brown should be an option they pursue intensely. He is right up there with Williams in terms of value on an open market, but he is significantly younger. A rebuilding Jaguars team could realistically trade for him and put him at left tackle for the next five years at a minimum.
The final verdict? Yes, the Jaguars should explore trading for Brown. They should likely do even more than that and make a serious push for the ascending lineman, but the Jaguars will first have to decide on what to do with Robinson.
