'Quite an upgrade': Bengals unveil new locker room, receive approval from players

CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals will have new digs to start the season.

The team unveiled its new locker room Tuesday, marking the end of a major project that officially started this January.

Longhorn Locker Co., who was contracted for the project, has renovated locker rooms for teams ranging from the Dallas Cowboys to Longview High School, one of the prominent programs in Texas.

Though the materials and aesthetics will vary from team to team across football, the base technology remains similar. And whether it’s at the grassroots level or all the way up to the pros, the coaches have the same mentality.

“They want to cater to how they run their programs,” Sam Allen, the company’s founder, told ESPN. “They want the locker room to match their culture.”

CRIBS: Bengals Edition #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/fQVSyiDIKN

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 30, 2024

The functional changes in the locker room aren’t to be overlooked among Cincinnati’s renovations. Each locker has equipment that can dry helmets, gloves and gear overnight, a process that previously occurred at the loading dock of Paycor Stadium during summer months.

James Weiss, vice president of sales at Longhorn Locker, said the Bengals get an airflow of roughly 240 cubic feet per minute to cool their shoulder pads.

The Bengals were long overdue for a new locker room.

When the NFLPA unveiled its survey of all 32 NFL teams earlier this year, Cincinnati was given a D+ for its locker room. The survey noted the lack of charging ports for electronic devices at each locker. That was remedied in the new space. Each locker has two power outlets and a wireless charger as well.

Elizabeth Blackburn, the Bengals’ director of strategy and engagement, said the feedback from players trumped what was outlined in the survey.

“It’s really more so the day-to-day conversations that our coaches and our football [operations] staff have in person with the players,” Blackburn said at a news conference Tuesday. “So we’ve got a really good pulse on it.”

Before Cincinnati’s new locker room was completed, the team was split up among multiple auxiliary locker rooms during offseason workouts and the start of training camp.

Now, the entire roster is back in the same space.

Coaches and players were thrilled with the updates.

First look with @JoeyB @Real10jayy__ & @teehiggins5 👀#RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/CyzqjuVT6R

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 30, 2024

“The more we continue to invest in stuff like this, the more comfortable the players are going to be,” quarterback Joe Burrow told the team’s website. “We’re going to love coming into work. I’m really happy with it. It’s quite an upgrade. Credit to ownership for putting this all together.”