Bengals News (9/6): Captain Hilton

Bengals Roster Moves; Tight End, Defensive End Signed; Linebacker Waived
Gentry (6-8, 265), a fifth-year player out of the University of Michigan, originally was a fifth-round pick of Pittsburgh in 2019. He played in 40 regular-season games (26 starts) for the Steelers, catching 39 passes for 303 yards.

Orlando Brown Jr.'s Bengals Debut As Big As Zeus
The 6-7, 360-pound force of nature who bludgeoned a long-shot legend into the brute reality of an estimable decade career as a turn-of-the-century right tackle and who always wanted his son to play with that D.C. edge.

The Conversation: Bengals Officially Turn To Mike Hilton: 'I Kind Of Feel Like I Was A Captain Before I Got This Honor'
The first of Bengals.com senior writer Geoff Hobson's weekly conversations with Bengals personalities. On Monday, veteran slot cornerback Mike Hilton was voted a captain for the first time in his three seasons in Cincinnati as they prep for Sunday's opener (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's Local 12) in Cleveland.

Joe Burrow Rumors: Bengals Have 'Optimism' That QB Signs New Contract Soon
"Both Burrow and the Bengals have kept major information from leaking, but based on my discussions, there's optimism in the building and in the locker room that a deal could get done over the next few days," Russini stated.

NFL execs rank AFC teams: Chiefs, Bengals lead way with Jaguars jumping up
We have almost reached the point on the NFL calendar when offseason conjecture goes out the window. Almost. As the 2023 season kicks off, we stack the 32 teams 1-16 in each conference based on voting from six NFL team executives. We tackle the AFC today and the NFC on Thursday.

Bengals vs. Browns prediction, odds, spread, injuries, trends for NFL Week 1
Cleveland missed the playoffs in the 2022 season, but the team is hoping to compete for a division title with a full season of Deshaun Watson under center. Watson didn’t play great in 2022, but it’s possible he needed to shake off the rust after sitting out nearly two seasons.

2023 AFC win-total projections: Chiefs, Bengals, Bills reign; Dolphins, Steelers miss playoffs
Losing not one but two upper-tier safeties in the offseason is never an easy thing for a defense to overcome, but the good news is Cincinnati's new starters at the position aren’t brand new to the NFL. 2022 first-round pick Dax Hill got a chance to learn behind Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell before they departed this offseason, and Nick Scott was a 16-game starter for the Rams last year. Also, there are a lot of options for defensive back formations with the team’s veteran corners.

Cincinnati Bengals center Ted Karras Leaving Lasting Impact Both On and Off the Field
When the Bengals signed Karras less than 18 months ago, they were hoping he would bring stability to the center position. They've gotten that and much more from the Indianapolis native.

Around the league

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce believed to have avoided long-term knee injury; status in doubt for kickoff game vs. Lions
Tight end Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee during practice, head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Tuesday. NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday afternoon that Kelce is believed to have avoided a long-term knee injury, but his status for Thursday is in doubt. Once swelling in Kelce's knee decreases, his status for Week 1 should become clearer, Rapoport and Pelissero added.

NFL Power Rankings, Week 1: Steelers rising heading into 2023 season; Jets, Patriots fall before kickoff
In my preseason version of the rankings, there was a lot of feedback on which teams should be higher or lower. I have made some adjustments, but not (entirely) because of public pressure. After all, I had ample preseason action to watch, and some teams (e.g., the Steelers) looked better than others (say, the Rams).

Tom Brady sees 'invigorated' Aaron Rodgers after trade to Jets: 'I think he's gonna have a great year'
"Well, it's just, there's a different energy about it. It's a newness," Brady said. "It's a fresh start to try to take where you've been, to bring all the good and then not to bring the tough lessons, you know? Because sometimes the tough lessons always remain unless you work through 'em, you know? So it's like you go through a lot of years at one place and there's a lot of, I would say, mental scar tissue, from losses or relationships or certain experiences. Oh, this guy had said this once, or that teammate, or this coach or that general manager.

2023 fantasy football flex rankings: Top 150 RB/WR/TE options in Week 1
Pondering some tough flex choices for your fantasy lineup? Adam Rank sorts through the running backs, receivers and tight ends to present his top 150 flex options each week for the 2023 fantasy football season, with some useful nuggets of analysis sprinkled in. The ranking is based on a 0.5 PPR scoring format.