Bengals not expected to name captains heading into Week 1

With some long-tenured veterans gone from Cincinnati, the expectation was the Bengals’ group of captains would be different in 2017 than in the past few years.

Andrew Whitworth and Domata Peko are gone and this is now Andy Dalton’s team to fully take leadership of. But according to Bengals.com, the team won’t be naming captains for the 2017 season before the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Ravens. Instead, they’ll go with game-specific captains.

Indications are the Bengals are going to start out the season with game captains instead of permanent captains, a tactic Lewis has used before.

You’d have to figure Dalton and A.J. Green will be captains on offense and there were whispers of Josh Shaw taking on the special teams captain role. Vincent Rey, though only a starter due to Vontaze Burfict’s suspension, could be a defensive captain. Carlos Dunlap would also be a great candidate as an outspoken leader with a great attitude on defense.

In his first press conference of the regular season, Dalton was asked about who’s filling the leadership void left by Whitworth.

“I wouldn’t say it’s been one guy that has filled that role; I feel like it’s been multiple guys,” Dalton said. “That’s one thing Marvin (Lewis) has touched on. We’ve had several guys step up to fill these roles. A.J. (Green) has done a great job, with the way he goes about handling himself leading this offense and this group. Clint Boling has done another good job, as a guy who has played in a lot of games. It’s fun to see our draft class, the 2011 draft class, be some of the guys who have taken over this team and this offense. I wouldn’t say there has been one guy who has filled that role, but we’ve had several guys work their way into this leadership position.”

Dalton, Green and Boling are suddenly some of the oldest Bengals on a now very young team. They could all end up being among the Week 1 captains.

Will the Bengals name season-long captains in Week 2? That remains to be seen, but as for now, Hobson seems to think they’re going week-to-week.

Who do you think should be the Bengals’ captains? Leave your opinion in the comments!