Cincinnati Bengals News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Bengals 2025 Roster Breakdown: Orlando Brown Jr. continues his prime following freak injury misfortune

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By John Sheeran | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 1:26 PM ET

Bengals roster breakdown is back! During the 99 days leading up to Cincinnati's regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns, the player with the matching jersey number as days remaining will become the day's highlighted player.

75 days remain until the Bengals' first game of the 2025 season, which brings No. 75 Orlando Brown Jr. into focus as the star of Cincinnati's offensive line.

Orlando Brown Jr.

Age: 29
Year: 8th
Position: Offensive tackle
College: Oklahoma
Previous Teams: Baltimore Ravens (2018-20), Kansas City Chiefs (2021-22)
Jersey Number: 75

Brown, the son of former NFL OT Orlando Brown Sr., enters his third season with the Bengals and eighth in the NFL after being drafted 83rd overall in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He started three years at left tackle for Oklahoma and became one of the only three players to be named Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year multiple times (2016, 2017).

The Ravens drafted Brown later than expected thanks in part to his lackluster testing numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine, but Baltimore ended up starting him at right tackle in Week 7 of his rookie year and never took him off the field after that. He got the chance to start at LT in 2020 but was not considered the team's long-term option at the position, which prompted him to request a trade off the team. Kansas City acquired him days before the 2021 draft and started him at LT for two seasons. He made a combined four Pro Bowls and helped win a Super Bowl title in his first five years.

When it was time for Brown to be paid his second contract, the Bengals found themselves firmly in the sweepstakes. Brown's Chiefs had struggled against Joe Burrow the previous two years despite beating them in the most recent matchup in the AFC Championship game. He wanted a permanent home with a contender at the position his late father wanted him to play. Cincinnati gave him that opportunity with a four-year deal in 2023.

Brown's first year with the Bengals saw him allow career-highs in sacks (seven) and pressures (59) but his 2024 season started off extremely strong as he ranked fourth in True Pass Set grade through Week 6 according to Pro Football Focus. Adjustments made to his stance in pass protection appeared to be paying off and he was playing his best football before a Week 7 knee injury derailed his year and forced him to miss six games.

Contract Details

Brown is in the third year of his four-year, $64.092 million contract he signed in 2023. He can earn a base salary of $6.4 million this season along with $748,000 in per game roster bonuses. He also earned $375,000 in workout bonuses this offseason.

Brown can earn a total of $7.523 million this year in cash, and when adding on his signing bonus proration of $7.775 million, his salary cap hit for the season is $15.034 million.

Roster Outlook

Injuries are not normal for Brown, who only missed one game during the first six years of his career. Brown said he suffered two fractures in his right fibula, a bone contusion on the tibia, and a sprained MCL against the Cleveland Browns. His recovery process involved bone marrow treatment and even Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, and it allowed him to participate in offseason workouts and OTAs.

Brown has achieved a successful NFL career if it ended today, but 2024 showed he has many great years left in the tank. If the Bengals can get last year's version of him for an entire 17-game slate, he'll set himself for a fifth Pro Bowl nod and potentially another run toward a Lombardi Trophy.

Projected role: Starting left tackle