The Bengals have announced their captains for the 2022 season, with a few changes from last year’s set. As always, the captaincies are decided by player voting. This year, the Bengals went with seven of them, with the following being selected:
- QB, Joe Burrow (offence)
- RB, Joe Mixon (offence)
- C, Ted Karras (offence)
- DE, Sam Hubbard (defence)
- DT, DJ Reader (defence)
- S, Vonn Bell (defence)
- S, Michael Thomas (special teams)
Burrow, as the leader of this team, and the QB, is the most obvious selection here. He is a captain for the 3rd straight year. Joe Mixon was a first time captain last year, and he has been voted in once again. Tyler Boyd was also a captain last year, but newcomer Ted Carras will be taking the 3rd spot this year. As a newcomer in a tightly knit group, it is somewhat of a surprise. That said, the C plays a big role in communication and is one of the leaders on offence. Still, it speaks volumes about his leadership that he was able to be voted a captain in his first year with the Bengals.
On defence, Sam Hubbard and Vonn Bell are both captains for another year. This is Bell’s 3rd straight year as a captain with the Bengals. Jessie Bates was the 3rd captain last year. However, he was not voted one this year, perhaps due to his holdout. Instead, DJ Reader has been voted in. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as he has been a leader on this team since his arrival.
The Bengals again only went with one special teams captain. Last year, it was Kevin Huber. This year, the veteran punter had to fight for his job. He did retain it, but was not voted a captain. S Michael Thomas will be the lone special teams captain this year. It is his first time being captain with the Bengals, but he had served as a special teams captain earlier in his career with the Giants.
In other news, the Bengals have waived CB Allan George and released TE Thaddeus Moss from the practice squad.
George made the initial 53 man roster as an undrafted rookie. However, the roster exemption for Jessie Bates is coming to an end, and the Bengals needed to open up a spot for him. In theory, Moss is being waived from the practice squad to make room for George if he clears waivers. With Moss being cut, Nick Bowers is now the only TE on the practice squad.
UPDATE: George has cleared waivers and been signed to the practice squad.
