Market value, smart spending, and the two sides to the Orlando Brown Jr. debate.
Chiefs fans are divided over what the team should do with its incumbent left tackle. Let's examine both sides of the debate and figure out where the line should be drawn.
Almost every time a good player is due for a contract extension in the NFL, the debate begins to swirl; To pay or not to pay?
Sides get taken. Lines drawn. Families fractured (OK, probably not that). Because of the salary cap, which is highly flexible but still creates a finite amount of resources that can be spent on players, it’s never as simple as “He’s a good player, so pay him.” Instead, many more aspects have to be taken into account.
What position does this player occupy, and how hard is it to find an average to above-average replacement at said position? How much does the difference between “replacement level” and “good” move the needle at that position? What other players have the team committed money to? Does the player have unique traits that are hard to replicate? Is he at an age where improvement can be expected relative to some of his peers? What does the in-house talent behind him look like? What is the market dictating players at his position get paid? More detailed versions of these questions have to be answered before making a final call.
A few years ago, the Chiefs faced that sort of decision with Chris Jones, and I wrote about both sides of the argument for and against paying him. This offseason, Brett Veach and company now face a similar decision with franchise-tagged left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
Following the season’s end, I reviewed 8 games of Brown, charting every snap against varying levels of competition to get a handle on how well he adapted to Kansas City’s offense (and Mahomes) in 2021. I walked away pretty impressed overall.
(NOTE- That article is unlocked for anyone to read if you’re interested)
We’ll talk briefly about the film takeaways regarding Brown in a moment, but right now the debate largely isn’t about Brown’s quality as a player. He’s generally regarded as a good-not-great young left tackle.
No, the debate is one regarding what Brown might cost vs what he might provide, and the idea of whether resources would be better off allocated elsewhere depending on what his asking price is. People have pretty strong opinions on this, and I think it’s time to break down both sides of the argument. Following that, I’ll discuss what I would do if I were Veach and a reasonable course of action forward.