WR Tyler Boyd says Bengals 'one-upped' Chiefs in free agency by getting Orlando Brown Jr.
The Cincinnati Bengals signed former Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. in free agency, and Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd gave reporters some competitive comments about the addition at offseason workouts Tuesday.
Brown, a four-time Pro Bowler, signed a four-year, $64 million deal that will place him on the side of protecting Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow instead of Patrick Mahomes. Boyd gave a quick jab to the competition when asked about the move.
"We have a nice little rivalry with the Chiefs," he said. "To see him come over. And I was like, 'Yeah, we one-upped y'all.' but at the end of the day, he's a great player, no matter where he went. He's probably one of the best at his position, you know, and just adding him to what we got already. You know, it's gonna allow Joe (Burrow) to have more time and it's going to give us the will to put up those points. So I'm just happy to have him."
Tyler Boyd on the #Bengals signing Orlando Brown, Jr. from Kansas City.
"You know, we have a nice little rivalry with the Chiefs and to see him come over, you know, it's like, yeah, we one-upped y'all." pic.twitter.com/85wuwWdGUE— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) May 30, 2023
There's no denying the Chiefs and Bengals' budding rivalry. The teams met in the last two AFC title games and two other times in the last two years. Cincinnati boasts a 3-1 record in those games. The loss came in the most recent AFC championship game, something Boyd feels like he could've prevented if he had been healthy. He recorded two catches for 40 yards before sustaining a deep thigh bruise in the second quarter of the 23-20 loss.
"Still to this day, I feel like if I would have played the whole game, I was the key factor," Boyd said Tuesday via ESPN. "We would've won the game."
Kansas City went on to win the Super Bowl, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles.
Boyd can't change the past, but Brown's presence gives the Chiefs even more of a competitive edge.
To that effect, Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce said losing Brown was tough pill to swallow. "It hurts my soul," he said on his New Heights podcast.
"It's like watching your best friend just turn evil on you," Kelce added.
Kelce and the Chiefs won't have Brown this upcoming season, but they will have the home-field advantage when the rivals meet at Arrowhead Stadium on Dec. 31.
