Cincinnati Bengals Tackle Says 2023 'Left a Bad Taste'

The Cincinnati Bengals came very far from achieving their goals during the 2023 season.

While there are numerous reasons as to why that was the case including a season-ending injury to their franchise quarterback, the level of play from the team as a whole was simply not good enough.

Included in that category was the offense line, a unit that is now led by veteran left tackle Orlando Brown Jr ., who arrived to Cincinnati prior to last season coming off a Super Bowl title with the Chiefs . For the first time since his rookie season with Baltimore in 2018, Brown Jr. was not named as a Pro Bowler. During a Q&A with Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com , Hobson asked Brown Jr. whether or not that bothered him heading into 2024.

"Big time. Hell, yeah. I set the bar to be All-Pro every single year. And last year was my first year not making the Pro Bowl since I was a rookie player. That left a bad taste in my mouth," Brown Jr. said , adding the fact that the team did not experience success didn't sit right with him either. "Last year was my first year being in this league, not playing in the playoffs, that left a really bad taste in my mouth. Every single year throughout my career, I've gone deeper and deeper in the playoffs, won the Super Bowl. And that's the standard that I set for myself. To be the best left tackle in football and go out and win a Super Bowl every single year. Yeah, it left a bad taste in my mouth."

By the sounds of it, Brown Jr. is ready to avenge the wrongs of 2023 when the team takes the field in 2024.