Every time Joe Burow speaks, it’s worth paying attention to. It’s because he’s not shy of expressing his confidence, and also because he’s the face of the Bengals’ franchise.
There’s another player on the Bengals who, when he speaks, I listen. Orlando Brown Jr. is incredibly knowledgeable, personable, and savvy. Brown speaks with eloquence, and I always learn something when I hear him speak. He’s awesome to listen to in interviews. Go back and listen to an on-the-spot interview he did with Dan Hoard in April on the Bengals Booth Podcast, and he talked about everything from football to everyday life.
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Recently, Brown went on the Locked On Bengals Podcast with Jake Liscow and Joe Goodberry for a two-part interview that aired last Friday and Monday of this week. It’s really good and worth your time if you haven’t listened to it yet.
In it, Brown made a bold statement about the Bengals’ offensive line, a unit that returns all five starters this season for the first time in the Joe Burrow era.
“I say this confidently. I really feel like we got the best pass protection unit in the NFL,” Brown said. “There isn’t a lot of group 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.”
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This is why Brown is so smart. He understands what the Bengals’ offensive line has been through in the last three seasons and isn’t shy to express how he feels about how far they have come. Look at last year alone. Remember last year when Bengals’ great Andrew Whitworth said playing offensive line for the Bengals was the toughest job in the NFL? He wasn’t lying, especially with the severe lack of a running game in the first five weeks of the regular season.
Then, though, the Bengals got their running game going. They started to go under-center more and found ways to run the football. It had a clear impact on their passing game, with Joe Flacco and when Joe Burrow returned.
Think about the Bengals’ offensive line last year. They had to adjust without Joe Burrow and two different quarterbacks while he was out. Particularly, Joe Flacco came over in-season. That’s a tough adjustment, and the Bengals’ offensive line— yes, the Bengals’ offensive line— adjusted seamlessly. I don’t think we give them enough credit for that. Not only did they get better themselves, they adapted to running the football and to a quarterback who came in during the season. They played two games in five days to start the Joe Flacco era— okay, maybe not era— and looked incredible offensively.
“Our unit is so strong in pass protection, man,” Brown said.
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I believe what Brown is saying. This offensive line is a mixture of veteran leaders and young studs. Brown, Ted Karras, and Dalton Risner have been around the block a few times, each playing for three different teams, including the Bengals, in their NFL careers. Dylan Fairchild and Amarius Mims are the young studs, with Mims approaching Pro Bowl levels and potentially playing himself into a contract extension next offseason.
The best offensive lines in the NFL don’t have a lot of turnover year-over-year. Look at Buffalo, they have had the same starting offensive line the last two seasons. It’s no shock that Josh Allen flourished behind it, winning MVP in 2024 and having, statistically, an even better season in 2025.
With the expectations Joe Burrow has for himself and the Bengals in 2026, Burrow may have his best season, statistically, this season. It could result in his first MVP. Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen all have at least one MVP award… because they’ve had continuity along their offensive lines. Burrow now has it, and it’s a welcome reprieve and refresher going into a pivotal year for the Bengals.
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