During his pre-free agency press conference this week, DeCosta said there are “a lot of different scenarios” at play for Brown, who said he hasn’t yet decided what he would do if the Ravens couldn’t find a trade partner.
“We’ll do what’s best for Orlando and we’ll do what’s best for the Ravens,” DeCosta said.
For Brown, deciphering whether it was best for him to play left tackle or play for the Ravens was a tough process.
On the one hand, he’d begun his NFL career with the organization he grew up watching, the one that signed his father as an undrafted free agent in 1993 while it was still known as the Cleveland Browns and kept Brown Sr. through the move to Baltimore, where he ended up spending six of the 10 NFL seasons he played. Brown Sr. passed away suddenly in 2011 as the result of a diabetic complication.
On the other hand, Ronnie Stanley had locked down the left side before Brown arrived in Baltimore. But in Week 4 of the 2020 season, Stanley was ruled inactive with a shoulder injury, opening the door for Brown’s return to left tackle for the first time since the Rose Bowl in January 2018.
“I played in a lot of big games in Baltimore, but that game was so special to me,” Brown said. “I remember being a 13-year-old kid setting out a goal and a dream growing up here in Baltimore to be the starting left tackle for the Ravens and someday being able to do what Jonathan Ogden did.
“For me to have that opportunity against the Washington Football Team at left tackle, that was one of the most special moments of my NFL career for me personally.”
Stanley reclaimed his position the following week, sliding Brown back to the right side. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Stanley had become arguably the best in the league at his position. Stanley’s grip on the spot became even firmer when he signed a five-year, $98.75 million contract in October. Coincidentally, Stanley suffered a season-ending broken ankle just days later.
Brown said it was a bit of an adjustment to switch back to the left side in the middle of a season. The footwork is different, the movements are different and his brain had to remind his body to do things the opposite way on that side of the line. Plus, the Ravens’ run-heavy scheme often calls for runs to the right side, meaning the responsibilities tend to be different for the left tackle on the back side of the play.
All that said, Brown found a comfort level quickly. And though some evaluators wondered if he could play left tackle in the NFL after his shaky pre-draft workouts (that included a 5.85-second 40-yard dash), Brown felt at home. He noted he’ll be even more comfortable if he gets the chance to practice on the left side throughout training camp this year.
Filling in for the injured Stanley affirmed Brown’s belief, and that of his father: the left side is where he belongs.
“It was, ‘Left tackle, left tackle, that’s all you’re ever playing.’ And that’s all we ever worked on,” Brown said of his father’s advice and tutelage. “I’m better at left tackle; it’s what I dreamed about being my whole life. We all have dreams, and we all get put in positions where we have an opportunity to upgrade. That’s it for me.
“It’s a lot more emotional or spiritual for me, I guess you could say, playing left tackle.”
