No one knows what the Cincinnati Bengals' right tackle position will look like in six months. Thankfully, the likelihood that it will be manned by a capable player is very high.
The top two options there are veteran free agent signing Trent Brown and first-round pick Amarius Mims. Brown is the presumed starter due to experience, but the now 350-pound Mims took plenty of first-team reps during the offseason program with Brown not present for OTAs , which makes training camp a lot more interesting for both of them.
The possibility of a Brown vs. Mims camp battle breaking out has led to the idea that Brown is on the roster bubble. As Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report put it, the Bengals could feasibly terminate Brown's contract should Mims beat him out prior to the regular season:
"If Mims is as advertised and a quick learner, it's possible he could win the starting job in camp—Brown has a lengthy industry and wasn't especially effective with the New England Patriots a year ago. Brown didn't sign with the Bengals for big money. But he signed with the expectation that he'd start. Being relegated to 'swing' duty may not sit especially well with a 10th-year veteran who has been to a Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl." - Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport
Such a decision isn't even a discussion for the Bengals yet as training camp is still a few weeks away. However, recent history should prevent them from making a similar decision.
Bengals can't repeat what they did last year
Cincinnati didn't have a battle for the right tackle position last year, but there were two starting-caliber players on the roster at that spot. Jonah Williams was atop the depth chart with La'el Collins working back from a torn ACL on the PUP list.
Collins' recovery prohibited him from challenging Williams for the job he had during the 2022 season. Williams made it through camp unscathed, and entered the regular season as the starter.
Not long after Week 1, the Bengals released Collins instead of keeping him on the roster as he continued his recovery. While the decision was surprising, it was ultimately made and justified because of the cap space they would save by releasing him.
Collins was under contract for two more seasons when he was released. Brown's contract expires next March. That difference alone makes it an illogical comparison as the Bengals wouldn't be directly saving any cap space in 2025 with this move. They could always just rollover any unused cap space from this year to 2025, but the amount of space they'd gain from cutting Brown would be smaller than what they gained from letting go of Collins.
Brown signed a one-year deal worth $4,750,000. $2 million of that has already been guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus, and another $1 million in per game roster bonuses can be dished out if he plays in all 17 games. Only $647,059 of that $1 million is actually counted against the cap since he played in 11 games last season
If the Bengals were to cut Brown, they'd only gain $2,397,059 in cap space compared to the roughly $6 million they were initially able to save by cutting Collins last year. The Bengals opted to push their savings into 2024.
The Bengals had more incentive to release Collins than if they were to do the same to Brown. Add on the fact that Brown isn't recovering from a major injury, and there's no good reason to unload Brown even if Mims is starting ahead of him.
Would Brown be displeased at becoming the offensive line's backup swing tackle? Of course. He wants to start and came to Cincinnati for that reason. But if he doesn't beat out Mims in a competition he's favored to win , that's completely on him. And the contract he signed won't force the coaching staff to play him when the season begins.
Regardless of how it ends up, Brown should remain on the Bengals for the entirety of the upcoming season. They cannot do to him what they did to Collins last year.
Related: Ted Karras reveals what he said to Trent Brown before Bengals signed their new right tackle
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