It is rare for a rookie to become a captain of an NFL team right out of the gate. However, the 23-year-old Joe Burrow has done it. On Wednesday, the Bengals announced their captains for the 2020 season, and Burrow was one of the seven players named. On the surface, this may be a surprise, but when you look deeper, the selection seems obvious.
During training camp, Joe Burrow earned the respect of his teammates in a short amount of time. He was also getting constant praise, not only from the media but also from veterans on the team as well. C.J. Uzomah, Trey Hopkins, and Mackensie Alexander have all publically praised Burrow and expressed their excitement to play with the first-year quarterback out of LSU. They said this despite only meeting Burrow in late July when training camps were finally allowed to open.
“Joe has really come in and been a leader on every front on the football team,” As it comes to social justice, he really stepped up and became 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.”
-Bengals’ Center Trey Hopkins
Not just Trey but a wide variety of players have been complementing Burrow and expressing their comfortability and confidence in the rookie.
When speaking to press earlier this week, Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin has this to say about Joe Burrow,
“The Best Players have the innate trait to lead people, and he’s got that.”
Joe Burrow will not have to lead the Bengals alone, however. He will be one of seven captions. The other six captions are A.J. Green, Giovani Bernard, Von Bell, Josh Bynes, Kevin Huber, and Shawn Williams.
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