CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals announced their team captains for the 2022 season, as voted by the players.
On the offensive side, quarterback Joe Burrow and running back Joe Mixon return as offensive captains. The two are joined by Ted Karras, the two-time Super Bowl champ who joined Cincinnati this offseason to give Burrow some more protection.
Hometown hero Sam Hubbard and safety Vonn Bell are returning defensive captains. The team announced defensive tackle DJ Reader was also voted captain by his teammates. Reader missed most of his first season with the Bengals after signing in 2020, but proved to be one of the team's top defensive players during their Super Bowl run in 2021.
Michael Thomas, a key special teams player for the Bengals, is the final captain.
Thomas, Karras and Reader replace Tyler Boyd, Jessie Bates and Kevin Huber as captains.
Huber won the punting battle during training camp, beating out fellow Tri-State native Drue Chrisman for a spot on the squad's initial 53-man roster. Bates rejoined the squad in late August after holding out on signing the designated franchise tag with the team.
The Bengals kick off the 2022 season at home Sunday, Sept. 11 against their AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The game starts at 1 p.m. on CBS.
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