KANSAS CITY, Mo. — New left tackle Orlando Brown said he’s ready for the pressure of protecting Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback and half-billion dollar investment.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself and have very high expectations for myself and that’s keeping Pat as clean as possible, creating many huge gaps and holes in the running game and taking care of that man across from me on a consistent basis,” Brown said Monday, days after being acquired by the Chiefs in a trade from the Baltimore Ravens. “I want to be the best. I want to be the best to play this position in the league. I’m not there yet and I’ve still got a lot of work to do but I’m going to get there.”
Brown will fill a huge hole in the Chiefs’ lineup, one left vacant after their release of long-time left tackle Eric Fisher.
“To have the opportunity to play here for this organization given the history of everything that’s gone on here, everything they’ve done lately, coach (Andy) Reid and his history, Pat and everything he’s done and is going to do . . . I was very surprised to be here. I’m just glad they made the move. I definitely think I’m the guy they want and the guy they need.”
The Ravens granted Brown’s request for a trade. Brown said he wanted out of Baltimore because he wanted to play left tackle. His path with the Ravens was blocked by the presence of Ronnie Stanley.
His father played right tackle in the NFL for 10 seasons and didn’t want the same fate for his son. So the senior Brown insisted that if Orlando Brown Jr. was going to be an offensive lineman, he would be a left tackle.
“This is nothing to do with finances,” Brown said. “This is to do with the opportunity to play left tackle. I grew up with my father playing in this league . . . as a right tackle. In my household, if you weren’t playing left tackle, I won’t say he disowned you but he kind of talked back to you.”
Brown said as a freshman in high school in Maryland, the coach didn’t think he was ready to play left tackle and initially put Brown at guard.
“My dad went to the coach and told him straight up, ‘Hey, if you’re not going to play him at left tackle, play him on defense.’ So I played defensive tackle my first year,” Brown said. “Something (his father) made me promise him was that I was going to be a left tackle and that I was going to play in this league for 10-plus years and be a Hall of Famer.
“My dad understood the magnitude of (being a left tackle), often being the captain of the offensive line, often being one of the better players on offense.”