CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals announced their 2024 team captains Monday, and there was a surprise addition to the list.
Cincinnati increased the list from six players to eight, with three players on offense, three on defense and two on special teams receiving nods from their teammates.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt drew the loudest ovation when his name was announced, along with quarterback Joe Burrow, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., center Ted Karras, safety Vonn Bell, defensive end Sam Hubbard, kicker Evan McPherson, and special teamer Akeem Davis-Gaither.
Cincinnati Bengals List of Captains Includes 4 New Faces
Bell was voted a captain during his first season in Cincinnati in 2020, and the veteran safety was an easy choice for his teammates to restore to the role after spending 2023 with the Carolina Panthers.
In addition to Pratt, Brown, McPherson, and Davis-Gaither are first-time selections, with Pratt being the biggest surprise among the group of three offensive players, three defensive players, and two special teamers.
The Generals 🫡
📰: https://t.co/UAjTUaOL27 pic.twitter.com/wDmjOuWtqM
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 2, 2024
Last year’s list contained a surprise as well when running back Joe Mixon held on to his role despite a rocky offseason rife with legal issues.
The Bengals traded Mixon to the Houston Texans in March, creating an opening for Brown, who is entering his seventh season in the league and second in Cincinnati, to be named a captain for the time in his career.
Pratt is entering his sixth NFL season, all with the Bengals. He’s well-liked by his teammates and has as good of a grasp of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme as anyone on that side of the ball.
Mike Hilton was a captain for the first time in 2023, but he lost the role to Pratt.
Other Bengals who have been captains and then lost the role while still with the team were safety Jessie Bates III in 2022 after he held out for most of training camp in a contract dispute with the team, and wide receiver Tyler Boyd, who was supplanted by Mixon in 2022.
Davis-Gaither is entering his fifth season with the Bengals. He played the fourth-most special-teams snaps last year, but each of the top two — Mitchell Wilcox and Markus Bailey — are no longer with the team.
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McPherson is entering his fourth season with the team and recently signed a three-year, $14 million extension.
Burrow has been a captain since arriving in 2020, and Karras has been a captain since he signed with the Bengals in 2022.
Hubbard, who is entering his seventh season in Cincinnati, has been a captain since 2021.
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