The Cincinnati Bengals announced their team captains for the upcoming season, and you won’t really find too many surprises among them.
The noteworthy things are that this is the first year that Ja’Marr Chase, Trey Hendrickson, B.J. Hill, and Logan Wilson have been named captains. Evan McPherson is also the only player still on the team who did not retain their captain status.
Germaine Pratt, Vonn Bell, Sam Hubbard, and Akeem Davis-Gaither all departed this offseason after being captains last season.
Those captains were some serious pillars in the locker room, especially Hubbard and Pratt, who were two of the longest tenured Bengals.
So it isn’t surprising to see them replaced with other players who have been with the team for a considerable amount of time. Guys like Chase and Wilson were drafted as part of the two draft classes part of the major turnaround for this team.
Meanwhile, Hendrickson and Hill were both acquired around the same time via free agency and trade to help kick-start a defensive turnaround.
Everyone with a C on their chest is a major contributor that everyone in the stadium will be looking to for big moments. It makes sense that their teammates view them as quality leaders as well.