Bengals News (7/26): Paycor Stadium gets an upgrade

Bengals Training Camp Checklist: Here Are The Best Position Battles
The Bengals' 53-man roster watch begins with the first training camp practice on Wednesday afternoon at the neighboring Kettering Health Practice Fields. When it begins to heat up six days later at the first padded practice, here are the five positions to check off.

Team Transactions: Awuzie Cleared To Practice
The Bengals today cleared CB Chidobe Awuzie to practice and removed him from the Active/Physically Unable to Perform list. Awuzie had been placed on the Active/PUP list on Sunday.

Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow signs multi-year deal with sports drink brand
Burrow joins others like Christian McCaffrey, CeeDee Lamb, Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young, Ronald Acuna Jr., Alex Morgan, Sabrina Ionescu, and Bryce Young.

Bengals invest $20M into Paycor Stadium renovations for fans
”We want to add some of the personality from the team and the city into the stadium,” Senior Manager of Digital Strategy Caroline Blackburn said. “So now when you walk in the west side when you come in gate A, you’ll hopefully feel this really cool jungle vibe. There will be this jungle bar that’s behind us that has features taken from the media day set.”

2023 Bengals training camp preview: How can the offense improve?
The Cincinnati offense improved its efficiency last season and finished fifth in points per drive, up from 12th in 2021. However, "big" plays dried up for the Bengals last season as teams were determined to prevent quarterback Joe Burrow from connecting on deep passes. The Bengals ranked 18th in the league in percentage of plays that were 10 or more yards. If Cincinnati can combine the explosiveness from 2021 with the efficiency it displayed in 2022, that could produce big gains for a Bengals team looking to top the AFC and win the first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Bengals fans will love this Joe Burrow quote about extensions
Asked about how his contract talks impact the team’s ability to keep weapons around him, Burrow dropped the following at the end of the clip: “I’m confident that we’ll be able to keep everybody.”

3 Bengals rated way too low in Madden 24
Madden 24 ratings have been revealed and Cincinnati Bengals fans are confused why these players were rated as low as they were. Obviously, not every player can receive a 99 rating (and only four of them have indeed earned that rating) but these players were absolutely disrespected by their ratings.

Around the league

Justin Herbert, Chargers agree to five-year, $262.5 million extension
Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to a massive long-term extension that will make him the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL by average salary, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday.

Top 100 Players of 2023, Nos. 90-81: Tua Tagovailoa among first three Dolphins on list
Despite only playing in nine games for the Cardinals in 2022, Hopkins was voted by his NFL peers to make his sixth consecutive appearance on the Top 100 ranking. Hopkins, a receiver known to make ridiculous catches in the air, had 64 receptions for 717 yards and three scores last season. After being released in May, Hopkins will be returning to the AFC South and suit up for the Titans.

49ers say Brock Purdy (elbow) cleared; Nick Bosa not expected to practice before new contract
Purdy didn't land on the 49ers' physically unable to perform list when veterans reported to training camp on Tuesday, meaning he'll be able to participate in some capacity from the start of camp after undergoing offseason elbow surgery.

NFL training camp: Ten most intriguing position battles to track in 2023
Certain positions offer more clear-cut battle lines in camp and the preseason. Quarterbacks are obvious, and there are more than a couple QB skirmishes to track this offseason. Wide receivers and running backs will fight to stand out in crowded rooms. With rotations up front on defense and more nickel usage, those gigs can be less compelling to track but are still crucial for the makeup of teams, especially those seeking depth.