Jim Owczarski

jowczarski@enquirer.com

Since the Cincinnati Bengals traded up to select him in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, center Russell Bodine has started each game of his three-year career. That allowed him to benefit from the collectively bargained “proven performance escalator.”

According to the NFL Players Association, Bodine will earn a base salary of $1,838,000 in 2017, the final year of his four-year rookie contract.

The proven performance escalator was negotiated into the 2011 collective bargaining agreement for players drafted in rounds three through seven to earn more money if they played in 35 percent of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three years or averaged 35 percent playing time cumulatively.

Having started 48 consecutive games to start his career, Bodine easily met those numbers.

In 2016, Bodine played in 1,060 of the Bengals’ 1,087 offensive snaps (97.52 percent), good for fourth on the team behind Kevin Zeitler, Andy Dalton and Andrew Whitworth.

Clearing up McCarron's contract status

Bengals add wide receiver

On Wednesday, the Bengals claimed wide receiver Chris Brown on waivers.

Brown spent the 2016 season on Dallas’ injured-reserve list after signing with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame and breaking a foot in training camp. Brown was listed at 6-feet, 2-inches and 193 pounds while with the Cowboys. He caught three passes for 19 yards in the preseason before being injured in mid-August. The Cowboys waived him on Tuesday.

In four years with the Fighting Irish, Brown caught 104 passes for 1,410 yards and six touchdowns. He caught 48 balls for 597 yards and four scores in 2015. According to his NFL.com draft profile, Brown clocked a 40-yard dash time of 4.47 seconds at his pro day.

Season tickets holders face price increase

After losing a home game in 2016 due to a trip to London, the Bengals will have a full 10-game home schedule at Paul Brown Stadium in 2017 (two preseason games, eight regular season contests). New season ticket packages will go on sale March 11 and will offer three tiers of variable pricing that, according to a letter to current season ticket holders, allows the club to “place a more accurate value on each game based on demand rather than assigning an equal price across all 10 home games.”

There is one tier of pricing for the preseason games and two for the regular season contests.

The team says season ticket packages are the lowest price per game offered by the club and begin at $400, which ranks in the bottom quarter of the league, but there is a 2 percent increase over 2016 pricing.

The club said 4,500 season tickets were purchased last season and were renewed at a 95 percent rate.

Fans interested in purchasing season tickets can call 513-621-8383 to put down a deposit before they go on sale March 11.

Kozerski inducted into Kentucky Hall of Fame

Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Bruce Kozerski will be inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame on June 22 at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion in Lexington.

Kozerski was a ninth-round pick of the Bengals out of Holy Cross in 1984 and went on to play 12 years for the team, including the 1988 Super Bowl season.

He is part of the 15th induction class along with former Cleveland Browns running back Ernie Green, Chicago Bears cornerback Virgil Livers, Bears and Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Todd Perry and Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals defensive back William Gay.