Orlando Brown Jr., Ted Karras Make It a Point To Welcome Amarius Mims to Bengals

CINCINNATI — It’s been more than five years since Zac Taylor sat in front of the media on his first day as the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and repeatedly mentioned the importance of culture as part of his vision to build the team into a winner.

Culture and character continue to be talking points around Paycor Stadium, but last weekend, there were a couple of instances that were more than talk.

And both involved rookie first-round pick Amarius Mims.

Bengals Veterans Make First-Round Pick Amarius Mims Feel at Home

The Bengals selected Mims with the No. 18 pick Thursday night. Friday morning, he was on a plane to Cincinnati, a standard exercise where the first-round picks fly to town to meet members of the organization, sponsors, and the media.

Cincinnati left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. made sure at least one teammate was on the meet-and-greet carwash as he drove to the stadium to be present for Mims’ arrival.

“It was important for me to be here to meet him, meet his family, and be able to have that conversation with him because it’s a whirlwind,” Bown said. “I just wanted to be there and let him know you’ve got help here. You’re not alone. I’ll be here with you through every step of the way.”

Brown stuck around after the initial handshake and was part of the contingent that took Mims to dinner Friday night at Jeff Ruby’s Carlo and Johnny.

Also part of that group was Bengals director of player relations Eric Ball, Mims’ parents, and starting center Ted Karras, who doesn’t find it as easy to get out to functions like that since his wife, Rachel, gave birth to their first child three weeks ago.

Ted Karras showing off the new 4th of July Cincy Hat while talking about welcoming Amarius Mims to the #Bengals pic.twitter.com/BQ1B2s7zpu

— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) April 29, 2024

But Karras knew how important it was to be there for Mims, and Rachel green-lighted the dinner.

“It was (important) to welcome him and make him feel comfortable and ready to go,” Karras said. “It was a Friday night. I got to sneak out a little bit.

“But seriously, I can’t speak highly enough about this guy coming in,” Karras continued. “I really, really think he’s gonna be a slam dunk for this franchise for a long time.”

Karras also took it upon himself to reimagine the nickname for the gigantic tackles the team is employing, with Trent Brown, Orlando Brown, and Mims all standings 6’8”.

Two weeks ago, Orlando said his favorite nickname was “Brown County,” but Karras said it needed to be updated after the team drafted Mims.

“It was Brown County when it was just the Browns, but I think now that we have three at 6’8″ or above, we’ve got to go with the ‘Cincinnati Skyline,’” he said.

“Plus, they’re a team sponsor,” he added, referring to Skyline Chili.

Orlando Brown said he was on board with the update.

“I feel that,” he said. “We’ve got three of the biggest men in the sport outside of maybe Jordan Mailata and Mekhi Becton. We’ve got the biggest dudes ever. It’s crazy.”

And Brown and Karras made sure Mims felt part of more than just a big man’s club, but part of the culture the coaches and players have been growing for five years.

“That’s the one thing about the sport of football – it’s always bigger than you,” Brown said. “There’s always a long-term plan, and Amarius is obviously in the long-term plan being a first-round pick. And I look forward to getting to know him and bringing him along as much as possible to help us win as many football games as possible.”