Endorsed by old New England teammate Ted Karras, Trent Brown helped the Bengals claim the biggest book-end tackles in the NFL Tuesday when he signed for one year.
The 6-8, 380-pound Brown figures to make his 94th start on Opening Day when he lines up at right tackle opposite 6-8, 340-pound Orlando Brown Jr., as the Bengals' most seasoned offensive player.
The move now swings the door open for the 18th pick in next month's NFL Draft, although tackle is still a fetching option since the position is as deep as it's been in years and Brown is on a one-year deal.
A seventh-round draft pick of the 49ers in the 2015 draft, Brown has played both tackles and won a ring on the Patriots left flank in 2018 when he played all 72 snaps in the Super Bowl victory over the Rams in LA quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor's last game before he became Bengals head coach. Most of his 100 games have come at right tackle.
"I'll be able to plug-and-play on the right side," said Brown, who arrived in Cincinnati at midnight for his visit. "It's a no-brainer to be here with this group and to be able to play next to a great guard like Alex Cappa."
He also reunites with Karras, his new center and a teammate on those 2018 Pats.
"That means we'll have four of the five guys on the offensive line who won have won Super Bowls," said Karras, also referencing Orlando Brown's win with the Chiefs and Cappa's Tampa Bay run. "We need another one."
"One of the best players I've had the privilege of playing with. I've endorsed him when I've been asked," Karras said. "He's a premier player. He knows what it takes to win. He's a super athlete to be so big and move like that. He's very strong. A guy who has played a lot football. Seventh-round draft pick. Made his way up in this league. It's always good to see an old friend again. A guy that you've done it with. It's exciting for me. And we're going into the draft with a full line"
If Brown does indeed line up at right tackle in the opener, he'll be the fifth different veteran starting at that spot in the last five Opening Days and the most experienced. Brown and Karras become the offenses only players to have appeared in 100 NFL games.
With 126, Karras leads the team in games played, followed by freshly-inked safety Vonn Bell's 122. Trent Brown has appeared in 100.
