Joe Burrow named one of Bengals captains for 2020 season

Joe Burrow is one of the Bengals captains

CINCINNATI — Rookie quarterback Joe Burrow was one of seven Bengals players to be named a team captain on Wednesday. 

On the surface it may come as a surprise. How many first-year NFL players — even quarterbacks — are named a captain?

But it isn't a surprise. Burrow earned the respect of his teammates in a short amount of time. The entire roster voted for team captains. 

Burrow has received praise from veterans like C.J. Uzomah, Trey Hopkins and Mackensie Alexander in recent weeks. 

The coaching staff has thrown a lot at him over the past few months. He had to learn the playbook virtually and didn't meet most of his teammates until he reported for camp at the end of July.

"Joe has really came in and been a leader on every front on the football team," Hopkins said last month. "As it comes to social justice, he’s really stepped up and become a leader. I feel very comfortable speaking for everyone on the team saying that we appreciate him. We respect him very much and we’re excited to go to war with him."

Burrow's teammates have made comments like that throughout training camp. He's led the team both on and off the field. He hasn't been overwhelmed by the transition to the NFL. 

"The best leaders have the innate trait to lead people and he's got that," Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin said. 

Cincinnati has seven captains in total. Along with Burrow, they elected A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard, Vonn Bell, Josh Bynes, Kevin Huber and Shawn Williams. 

Presenting our 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣0️⃣ CAPTAINS: @Vonn @G_Bernard25 @JoeyB @bynestime56 @ajgreen_18 @khuber10 @36SLY36 pic.twitter.com/nAwgaJKo6Q

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 9, 2020

The Bengals began installing the game plan for their matchup against the Chargers on Wednesday. The Burrow era begins Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at Paul Brown Stadium. 

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