Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. believes his offensive line will step up and consistently protect quarterback Joe Burrow next season.
"I say this confidently, I really feel like we got the best pass-protection unit in the NFL," Brown said on the "Locked on Bengals" podcast. "There isn't a lot of groups that could come do what we do on a week-to-week basis and have the success that we've had, especially with the circumstances."
The Bengals re-signed guard Dalton Risner after the veteran had a solid campaign. They'll once again have Amarius Mims, Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Brown, and Risner across the offensive line after they all played at least 14 games last season.
Cincinnati's unit ranked 22nd in total pressures surrendered in 2025, according to Next Gen Stats. The Bengals' 5.3% sack rate also finished 23rd across the league.
Keeping Burrow protected has been an issue since Cincinnati selected him first overall in 2020. He's been sacked the third-most times among 25 qualifying quarterbacks over the last six seasons on a per-game basis (2.77), behind only Geno Smith and Russell Wilson, according to TruMedia.
"Pass protection is the hardest thing to do in the sport, in my opinion, probably outside of a few other things like playing quarterback and man-to-man coverage at corner. ... But our unit is so strong in pass protection," Brown said.
Brown has been Cincinnati's primary starting left tackle since 2023. The 30-year-old allowed nine sacks and 46 pressures in 17 games last year, according to PFF. The Bengals signed Brown to a two-year, $32-million extension in March, locking him up through the 2028 season.
Cincinnati will open training camp on July 28 and face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 13 in its season opener.
