Bengals Bytes (8/5): Still around

Technology adds safety, reliability for Bengals
The Bengals moved away from hydraulic scissor lifts and it has added a consistency to their practice routines. Those days are gone in Cincinnati thanks to an investment in new technology the Bengals made to enhance safety, as well as provide a reliability and efficiency for practice.

Madden NFL 18 Player Ratings: Defensive Tackles
Here are the top 5 D-tackles looking to stop your offense cold in Madden 18.Atkins isn’t as strong as Suh, few human beings are, but he’s still strong enough to disrupt plays. His 90 Strength is quite a bit lower that Suh’s ridiculous 98, but Atkins has the advantage with a Power Move of 93 to push past a block. Another handy attribute is a 92 Play Recognition. So manually controlling another player and letting the AI handle Atkins isn’t the worst idea.

The New York Jets have signed defensive lineman Devon Still
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Defensive lineman Devon Still, whose daughter, Leah, captured the hearts of millions during a cancer fight she eventually won, is restarting his football career with the New York Jets.

Bengals Fantasy Preview - Offseason Low Down
Evan Silva's Team Fantasy Preview series rolls on with the Cincinnati Bengals. Andy Dalton is a sum-of-his-parts quarterback, so his downturn in 2016 box-score production was not surprising after the Bengals allowed Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu to walk before A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, and Giovani Bernard combined for 20 missed games. Dalton’s 2017 weaponry has a chance to be the best of his career with Green (hamstring) fully healed, Eifert (back, ankle) all systems go for camp, and dynamic pass-catching threats John Ross and Joe Mixon added in the draft. Most importantly, Dalton is a prime positive-regression candidate after posting a career-low 3.2% touchdown rate in 2016, nearly two full percentage points lower than Dalton’s previous career TD rate.

Camp report: Carson catches up in roster joust
In a Friday night practice focusing on special teams and situations, the Bengals defense unleashed its pass rush and dominated the most pleasant day of training camp as temperatures dropped to 70 as an estimated 1,400 fans looked on. The workout served as a tune-up for Saturday’s 1 p.m. Family Day practice at Paul Brown Stadium, where head coach Marvin Lewis holds the closest thing to an intrasquad scrimmage. There’s not hitting like back in the day, but there are elements of the old Mock Game with the roster split into two teams. Each team wears white and black jerseys and has an offense and a defense that can score points for touchdowns, PATs, field goals and interceptions.

Fantasy Football draft rankings 2017
The 2017 NFL season will be an interesting one for fantasy football players and owners alike due to the draft, free agency, and depth chart promotions and demotions. With guys like Alshon Jeffery, Brandin Cooks, Adrian Peterson, and Marshawn Lynch on new teams, fantasy owners will need to readjust how they value the RB and WR positions this year. Veteran players can be somewhat easier to predict because their roles are largely locked in, and their body of work thus far gives us a good indicator of what to expect in the coming seasons. However, rookies are often over-drafted due to big name analysts trying to project their careers before they have played a single down in the NFL.

Fisher's steady diet of play has roots in his diet
One of the keys to the return of The Jungle just might be the animal grazing on Jake Fisher’s menu that has fed his career revival. Bison. And plenty of it. That’s been Fisher’s favorite since he decided to re-invent his body after last season. "Lean, quality," he says. It’s also his lunch as gets ready for Thursday’s practice, already cooked and delivered by his personal chef.

Bengals' D puts relentless pressure on Andy Dalton in Friday's workout
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther found some inspiration for his unit in an unusual place this week. The Cincinnati Bengals were dogged with the reputation of being unable to close out games last season. Guenther plans to change that.

Walkthru: Cincinnati Bengals injuries and AJ McCarron trade winds whip up again
It’s that time of year. Football has started for real now with pads and contact happening across every NFL training camp, and naturally – because it’s football – guys are getting hurt. The Bengals had their biggest scare last week when starting safety George Iloka went to the ground in the dreaded “non-contact” fashion, grabbing his right knee. Iloka and the club avoided disaster, as no major structural damage was found and he should be ready for the start of the regular season.

AFC North Bytes

Hue Jackson unfazed by spotty quarterback play in team scrimmage
What does it say about the state of the Browns’ quarterback competition when the first words out of the mouth of coach Hue Jackson after the team scrimmage in FirstEnergy Stadium is, “It was good to walk out of there without any injuries, so we’re excited about that”? Well, the first thing is the Browns are lucky that a leg injury suffered by linebacker Christian Kirksey on the third play was not serious. Jackson said he could have returned, but the cautious coach “shut that down real quickly.”

Mike Tomlin’s message to Steelers fans after receiving a two-year contract extension
The Pittsburgh Steelers like Mike Tomlin, a lot. Although some in the fan base blatantly disagree with such a sentiment, the fact the organization gave Tomlin a two-year contract extension shows just how much faith they have in him as the head coach. Can you blame them? The man hasn’t had a losing season, has overseen and entire overhaul on defense, been to two Super Bowls, won one, and is coming off a year where they won the division and participated in the AFC Championship game.

Austin Howard, Ravens Reportedly Agree to 3-Year Contract
The Baltimore Ravens and free-agent right tackle Austin Howard agreed to terms on a contract Friday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Rapoport reported the three-year deal is worth $16 million, with $5.5 million in the first year and team options after each year. The Oakland Raiders cut Howard on July 28 to save $5 million against the salary cap, and the move opened the door for Marshall Newhouse to take over as their new starting right tackle.

Random Bytes

Facing LaDainian Tomlinson, in the words of AFC West defenders who saw him most
LaDainian Tomlinson joins the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, five years and 272 days after his 145th and final rushing touchdown in the NFL. Only Emmitt Smith’s 164 career rushing touchdowns are ahead of Tomlinson in NFL history, but even Smith never had a year like Tomlinson’s 2006 when he posted an impossible 28 rushing touchdowns.

Inside NFL Cheerleaders' Legal Fight for Better Pay
As the NFL's players head back to the field for the 2017 season, so, too, do the cheerleaders — who also are heading to court. In recent years, at least five NFL teams — the Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and New York Jets — have faced lawsuits from their cheerleaders over pay.

NFL training camp preseason position battle to watch for all 32 teams in 2017
Just how will the Bengals use their running backs now that they have three solid options among Giovani Bernard, Jeremy Hill and Joe Mixon? If the Bengals' history is any indication, Hill will likely exit camp as the starting back. But the talented rookie Mixon could push him every step of the way.