'It's Really Important to Me' -- Bengals LT Orlando Brown Jr. Discusses His Injury and Chances of Playing Sunday

Jay Morrison | 2 Hours Ago

Orlando Brown Jr. walks on the field as he misses the game with an injury in the first quarter of the NFL Week 9 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Las Vegas Raiders at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said before Wednesday’s practice that he was optimistic about Orlando Brown Jr.’s chances of playing Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And Brown echoed that sentiment after being a limited participant in practice.

“I’m pretty optimistic, too,” he said.

Brown has missed the last four games after being forced out of the Week 7 road win against the Cleveland Browns with a knee injury.

In his first six seasons in the league, Brown played in 98 of a possible 99 games, with the one he missed being, ironically, the Chiefs’ Week 17 game in Cincinnati when he suffered a calf injury in pregame warmup.

“It's my first time in my life and career missing time,” Brown said. “So it's been hard standing on the sidelines watching the guys. But they've been fighting, they've been scrapping.

“It's really important to me.”

The Bengals initially listed Brown’s injury as a knee, then added a fibula designation. On today’s injury report, it is just fibula.

He said it was a contact injury early in the game against the Browns, and while he’s been out longer than he had hoped, he’s encouraged by the progress.

“It's gotten better throughout the time that I've been out,” he said.

Brown was playing as well as he ever has before the injury, and in the first seven games with him in the lineup the Bengals allowed 18 sacks, 37 quarterback hits and 41 pressures while posting a 3-4 record.

In the four games with Cody Ford at left tackle in place of Brown, the Bengals have surrendered eight sacks, 35 quarterback hits and 52 pressures while going 1-3.

Pro Football Focus has Brown ranked as the No. 13 pass-blocking tackle in the league this season, allowing just eight pressures and two tackles.

“He was playing great, best of his career,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said. “One of the top tackles in the league the way he's been playing this year, so when we have him back, I think that opens up some things that we can do.

“He wants to get it back out there. I know he does,” Burrow added. “We will see if he is. I think (Ford) has done an admirable job, but it'd be great to have (Brown) back out there.”

If Brown is able to play Sunday, there will not be any easing into his return with any sort of snap limit.

“I would go into it thinking I'm going to play the whole game,” he said.

There will be no easing in figuratively either with the Steelers owning one of the best defensive lines in the league, led by four-time All Pro and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt.

“He's one of the most dominant players in football,” Brown said. “I've had a chance to be around him at a few different Pro Bowls, and he's a really good player. He works his ass off. He shows up on the stat sheet, even with batted balls and all these different plays that he makes.

“I've got a ton of respect for him.”

Brown practiced in the week leading up to the Chargers game, going limited on Thursday after missing the Wednesday session that week. He then sat out the Friday practice and was listed as doubtful on the injury report.

If Brown is able to practice Thursday, it will be the first time he’s done so on back-to-back days since Oct. 17-18.

“We've got a lot on the line, so I'm excited to get back out there with the guys hopefully,” he said. "

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