CINCINNATI — Not too much has changed in the Bengals locker room since last year's successful season.
Cincinnati announced Monday its team captains for the 2023 season, as voted on by the players. All but one were captains last year.
QB Joe Burrow, RB Joe Mixon and C Ted Karras return as captains on the offensive side of the ball. Burrow and Mixon have been captains since the 2021 season, with two-time Super Bowl champ Karras joining them last year.
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Hometown hero DE Sam Hubbard and veteran DT D.J. Reader were also once again voted captains. Hubbard was the team's Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee in 2021 and 2022, while Reader is considered one of the top interior defensive linemen in the league and — as shown on the team's social media pages — clearly popular with his teammates.
The newest captain is CB Mike Hilton, who has been with the Bengals since their Super Bowl run in 2021. He replaces S Vonn Bell, who served as captain last year.
2023 captains 🫡 pic.twitter.com/KP4jp5UiQv
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 4, 2023
Last year's special teams captain S Michael Thomas was released at the end of training camp, later signing with the team's practice squad.
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The Bengals play their first game of the season at Cleveland Sunday at 1 p.m.
