Bengals meet with veteran tackle, look to shore up O-line ahead of draft

The 2024 NFL Draft's richness in offensive line talent is great news for the Bengals, who need an offensive tackle after losing Jonah Williams to the Cardinals in free agency. 

However, Cincinnati is looking to solidify its offensive line ahead of the draft on April 25.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bengals are hosting free-agent offensive tackle Trent Brown on Tuesday.

Brown, a former Super Bowl LIII champion and Pro Bowler, would fill Cincinnati's remaining vacancy on its offensive line. He has played left and right tackle in his nine-year NFL career but would likely play on the right side with Orlando Brown Jr. on the left.

The 30-year-old's best football is behind him, but he still proved serviceable in 2023, allowing just three sacks and being penalized only two times on 579 snaps played, per Pro Football Focus.

Adding Brown would benefit the Bengals as it wouldn't force them to draft an offensive tackle if they don't love the options available when they first pick at No. 18. At the same time, Brown wouldn't be the guaranteed starter if they were to add to the offensive line in the draft.

Brown shouldn't cost a ton of cap space either. He is expected to receive a three-year, $21.5 million contract ($7.1M per year), per Spotrac; Cincinnati still has $30.9 million in cap space, per Over The Cap.

Now, the Bengals must still decide whether to sign wide receiver Tee Higgins, who requested a trade after being placed with the franchise tag, to an extension and give wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase a likely market-resetting deal.

However, the longer a player is on the open market, the more their price drops. Cincinnati has been patient, which may pay off with the potential addition of Brown.

If the Bengals can seal the deal, they can head into the 2024 NFL Draft with a best-available-player approach.