CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t want Trent Brown to leave town without a contract. Brown didn’t want to leave without a starting job.
Both sides got what they were looking for this afternoon when the Bengals signed Brown to a one-year deal.
What Trent Brown Said After Signing With Bengals
Before flying home, Brown did a Zoom call with Cincinnati media. Here are the three most interesting things he said.
Trent Brown Expects To Start at RT
Even after signing Brown, who will turn 31 next month, the Bengals are still in the market to draft a tackle at No. 18.
It always felt as though whichever veteran they signed in free agency and the rookie they draft would duke it out in training camp to be the starting right tackle. But Brown said he believes he will be the starter.
Asked if the Bengals talked to him about being the starter, Brown said, “Yes, sir.”
Asked what concerns he has about the team drafting a tackle in the first round to compete with him, he said “None at all.”
It's confirmed. Trent's a fan of the stripes. pic.twitter.com/S48dtqEIAb
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 19, 2024
“They told me that they were just looking for someone who was coming to play,” Brown said. “First and foremost, they said they believed in me, they believed in my game, they liked my game, and they said how I play the game is everything they believe in.
“They feel like this is what was missing to help get them over the top,” he continued. “I was excited about that, and I’m even more excited being here.”
Brown Thrives on Island Life
NextGen Stats tweeted out a stat as soon as news of the Brown signing broke, stating that he was in 1-on-1 situations on 88.3% of his pass-blocking snaps in 2023, the most of any tackle in the league.
Brown said the reason he does it more than anyone else is because he’s better at it than anyone else.
“I’m very comfortable doing that,” Brown said. “That’s what I do best. I think that’s why I’m here.
“You won’t find another tackle in the league or in the game of football today that does that better than me,” he added. “I have a unique set of skills and being able to play both sides that way. Credit to God and my parents for that.”
New England Catches a Stray
Brown referenced putting some worries behind him and looking forward to coming to work every day, but when he was asked about his time in New England and some of the issues he had with the organization — including publicly ripping them for letting Ted Karras leave in free agency — Brown declined to elaborate.
"This has been a year like no other."
A lot's been said and written about Trent Brown over the last two months, and most of it is unflattering. I spoke with him to get his side of the story. https://t.co/ssfx920z8v
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) January 9, 2024
“I don’t want to really get into the last couple years,” he said. “Let’s just talk about right now.”
But when Karras’ name came up again, Brown said how much the Cincinnati center told him he enjoys the organization and its direction.
He went on to say that seeing Karras as soon as he got to Paycor reinforced what his former teammate had told him. And he took a shot at the Patriots to illustrate his point.
“I walked in the building this morning, and he was in the hot tub getting ready to work out,” Brown said. “That even added to it, him being here on March 19, and the offseason program doesn’t start for another month almost. That was a huge thing right there. Where we came from, people would get out of there for a release any chance we had.”
KEEP READING: What Bengals Captain Ted Karras Thinks About Team’s Free Agent Additions, Losses
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