Washington Football Team ‘had discussions’ about trading for Orlando Brown

The Kansas City Chiefs made a splash move on Friday afternoon when they agreed to a deal to acquire Orlando Brown Jr. from the Baltimore Ravens.

Brown has been one of the better right tackles in the NFL in recent seasons, but after filling in for Ronnie Stanley on the left side last year, he wanted a chance to play the left side again. As such, the Ravens had to move him and ended up acquiring the No. 31 pick from the Chiefs among other assets for Brown and a second-round pick.

But the Chiefs weren’t the only team that considered making a move to get Brown. According to ESPN’s John Keim, the Washington Football Team “had discussions” about trading from the talented tackle, but ultimately, they didn’t want to pay the high price to acquire him.

Why Washington Football Team didn’t trade for Orlando Brown Jr.

This certainly makes sense for Washington. The 2021 NFL Draft class is thought to be very good at the tackle position. While Brown is obviously more proven than any tackle Washington would consider with the 19th pick, he would also be more expensive, as Keim noted.

If Washington had just a few holes to fill on their team like the Chiefs do, then a trade for Brown would have been more palatable. But because they still don’t have a quarterback and have needs to fill at receiver, tight end, offensive tackle, linebacker, and free safety, among others, offloading a first-round pick for Brown and giving him a big contract simply doesn’t make much sense.

Washington would be better off selecting a tackle with the 19th pick or grabbing one in the second round while keeping their draft capital and acquiring cost-controlled assets. In Round 1, both Alijah Vera-Tucker and Christian Darrisaw are the top tackles the team could consider, but there are plenty of others that could ultimately become strong left tackles for the team.

Pursing Brown made sense for Washington. So did bowing out when the cost got too high. They are continuing to take a measured approach to team building, and that will set them up for long-term success.

And when the time is right to get aggressive, they’ll certainly be ready to make a move./