Bengals’ Trent Brown Ho-Hums Early Absence, Says He’s Ready To Compete With Amarius Mims for RT Job

CINCINNATI – While rookie first-round pick Amarius Mims has been the talk of Cincinnati Bengals practices with his athleticism and stonewalling of all comers, veteran Trent Brown has been on the far field working on the “tightness” he reported upon arriving for training camp.

The 10-year vet didn’t seem to be in any hurry to jump into the fray of what was expected to be one of the top position battles of camp.

Monday, he confirmed he wasn’t.

“I’m just easing in,” he said after practice, his first of camp. “It’s about that time, about a month out. Gotta get in some type of football shape with us being a month away from our first game.”

Bengals’ Trent Brown Has No Interest in Preseason Snaps

While Brown was cleared to practice Sunday, he didn’t return until Monday, when he only did individual drills.

We have made the following transaction:

OT Trent Brown has passed a physical and is cleared to practice.

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 4, 2024

Asked after practice where he was experiencing tightness, Brown said he’ll keep that quiet.

The Bengals are off today, and it remains to be seen whether Brown will participate in any team drills before Saturday’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he is not expected to play.

And not wanting to.

“I don’t think it really makes a difference to go out there for a series, and then you don’t play a game for like, a month or three weeks, two weeks, whatever,” he said. “So it is what it is. I think I’ll be just fine.”

The Bengals signed Brown to a one-year, $4.4 million contract in March that always felt more like an insurance policy. It was almost a foregone conclusion they would draft a tackle in the first round, and they were thrilled to land the 6-8, 350-pound Mims at No. 18 overall.

The Bengals told the 6-8, 380-pound Brown the plan, and head coach Zac Taylor said he welcomed the competition.

"It's a family feel to the room and I think I fit right in."

Coming to Cincinnati was a no brainer for Trent Brown. pic.twitter.com/9AlF0pk9YN

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) March 25, 2024

But Mims is further along than many expected after playing so sparingly at the University of Georgia.

That inexperience made Mims somewhat of a longshot on draft night to be the opening day starter – something only two rookie tackles in team history have done since 1970.

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But after 10 practices, Mims should be considered the favorite, even if it’s by a slight margin, to be in the lineup Sept. 8 against the New England Patriots.

But Brown isn’t conceding anything.

“I’ve gotta get some reps under my belt and working with the guys around me, but I got a lot of reps under my belt already,” he said. “It’ll be fine as long as I get the terminology down and just be like riding a horse … or riding a bike.

“It will play itself out. I’m not worried.”