Orlando Brown Jr. (Photo by Cooper Neal/Getty Images)
NFL rumors are flying and we get a look at Austin Eckler’s trade touchdowns, Steelers draft signs, and the Chiefs make the right call.
It’s definitely NFL rumor season with free agency set to start on Wednesday but with the legal tackle period starting Monday as well, several big deals have already been agreed. However, the possibility of what could happen is what has fans checking constantly.
Of course, Aaron Rodgers has dominated the NFL rumor cycle with a heavy sprinkling of Lamar Jackson as well. But there is more to it than that. Orlando Brown Jr., after never being re-signed or franchised by the Chiefs, is still shockingly short of a deal. Meanwhile, the Steelers lost some key defensive pieces. Furthermore, Chargers running back Austin Eckler requested a trade.
So let’s take a look at these NFL rumors and break down some key aspects of why things happened and, more importantly, what it could mean moving forward.
NFL rumours: Looks like the Chiefs are right and they’re not cheering for Orlando Brown Jr.
Whenever the Kansas City Chiefs let a franchise tag deadline pass without tagging Orlando Brown Jr., there were a slew of furrowed eyebrows around the league wondering why that was. After all, this was a team that let their left tackle hit the open market.
Since then, though, the Chiefs have signed Jawaan Taylor to fill in for at least one point tackle — presumably on the left side with a move from his natural position — in a lucrative deal. More importantly, the Browns were not signed on the open market. And now we are beginning to find out why.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on NFL Live, the league views Brown as a right tackle out of Kansas City, but the tackle is still adamant he wants to play on the left side, which causes problems in negotiations.
Adam Schefter just said on NFL Live that the holdup in signing former #Chiefs OT Orlando Brown Jr. to a new team is the fact that “the league” views him as a right tackle, but OBJ wants to be paid like a left tackle. #ChiefsKingdom
— Devon Clements (@DevclemNFL) March 14, 2023
This is very interesting considering Brown was traded to the Chiefs from the Ravens due to his desire to move to the left side. Kansas City obliged but apparently had some reservations about it being the long-term plan or he might still be in the building.
As of now, the bosses seem quite smart of their decision to allow Brown access to the market because, obviously, he wasn’t as desirable as many thought.
