The Cincinnati Bengals added some new faces in free agency this offseason, as guys like TJ Slaton and Oren Burks will be donning the black-and-orange for the first time next season. But, the Bengals also lost some familiar faces, and one particular loss was singled out as the team's "most important" loss by Ryan Phillips of Sports Illustrated.
In an article that highlighted each team's largest loss in free agency, Phillips pointed to offensive tackle Trent Brown for Cincinnati. Brown signed a one-year deal with the Houston Texans in free agency after an injury-plagued season in Cincinnati. Here's what was written:
"The Bengals can ill-afford to lose anyone on the offensive line, but they cast Brown adrift after a disappointing season in 2024. The veteran tackle suffered a torn patellar tendon in Week 3 and missed the rest of the season. The Houston Texans signed him to a one-year deal hoping for a bounce-back season. Meanwhile, the Bengals will have to add offensive line help via the draft."
The Bengals probably won't miss Trent Brown too much in 2025
It's undeniable that the Bengals need to bolster the offensive line in front of star signal-caller Joe Burrow, and they've done little to do that in free agency so far. But, it's tough to identify a guy who barely even played for the team last season as the "most important" loss. And that's not a knock on Brown. He just simply didn't get a real chance to perform during his lone season in Cincinnati.
Cincinnati signed Brown to a one-year deal last offseason with hopes that he would help to protect Burrow. Unfortunately, he suffered a a torn patellar tendon on Monday Night Football against the Washington Commanders in Week 3, and he missed the remainder of the season as a result.
Since they were forced to play the final 14 games of the season without him, the Bengals are pretty familiar to life without Brown. Sure, if he were healthy he would have been a nice addition on the line, but it's hard to miss what you never had.
If anything, the fact that Brown was named as the team's most notable loss is a good thing, because it shows that the team didn't really suffer any devastating losses this year. Instead, they were able to retain several key contributors like Tee Higgins, Mike Gesicki, and B.J. Hill, among others.