Orlando Brown Jr.: 'I’m A LEFT Tackle'

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Orlando Brown Jr. successfully made the switch from right to left tackle when Ronnie Stanley went down with a season-ending ankle injury.

Brown might want to stay at that position going forward, which could create a roster challenge for the Ravens.

I’m a LEFT Tackle.
— Orlando Brown Jr. (@ZEUS__57) January 29, 2021

In October, the Ravens signed Stanley to a five-year extension, which keeps the All-Pro under contract through the 2025 season. The deal is worth $98.75, which makes him the second-highest-paid left tackle at $19.75 million per year.

Staley was playing in the final year of his rookie deal and was eligible to test the free-agent market in 2021. The Raven selected Stanley in the first round of the 2016 draft (sixth overall) from Notre Dame. He has started all 61 of the games in which he’s played since joining the Ravens prior to suffering the ankle injury Week 8 against the Steelers.

In 2019, when he earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, Stanley helped Baltimore set an NFL record for single-season rushing yards (3,296) and produce the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense (33.2 ppg).

Brown will earn a base salary of $920,000 this season and is eligible for free agency in 2022. However, he will want to get paid as a left tackle, which could earn him a bigger deal in the open market.

Brown earned back-to-back Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year honors in 2016 and 2017 as a left tackle at Oklahoma.

I'd put the odds of Orlando Brown playing out his rookie deal at RT for the Ravens up there with the odds of Chad Henne winning Super Bowl MVP or me competing an Iron Man Triathlon
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 30, 2021

Brown, who was was selected in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons. There is some speculation the Ravens could trade Brown this offseason for additional draft picks, but the Ravens have been committed to keeping their home-grown players.

"We want to keep our good, young players," DeCosta said. "That’s something that as I thought about myself and being a GM, I really wanted us to try and do. We have these players. We draft them. We like them. We know them. They really fit us, and we want our fans to be able to reap the enjoyment of these players over time if we can, again, based on the parameters of the salary cap.

"So, we will continue to engage in talks with all of our good, young players, and try and sign as many guys as we can. Sometimes, you just can’t get a deal done. Sometimes, you can. It’s great when you can, but sometimes, you can’t."