As we are just days away from seeing Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals start their 2026 campaign, Cincy has named its seven captains for the season, including three new captains for the year.
Cornerback DJ Turner becomes a captain in his fourth season in the Queen City after a breakout year last term. He joins new defensive additions Dexter Lawrence and Bryan Cook as the Bengals' two other new captains for 2026.
It came as no surprise that Sexy Dexy was made a captain. He is a league veteran, heading into his eighth year in the NFL. He has been one of, if not the, best nose tackles in the NFL over that eight-year spell, and so his experience and production clearly have the makings of a captain and a leader, even if it is his first year in Cincinnati. However, to many, Bryan Cook will come as more of a surprise.
Bryan Cook has hit the ground running with the Bengals
When the Bengals picked up Cook in free agency, it was seen as a really shrewd move by the front office. He's a guy who knows how to win championships, having won two with Kansas City so far in his NFL career.
The former Bearcats safety returning to Cincinnati was very much a homecoming, and felt like the right move for all parties. Plus, everything that has come out of training camp about the 27-year-old has been really positive.
In choosing to make him a captain, the Bengals have shown just how much of an impact the former Chiefs star has had on his teammates in the few months he's been a Bengal, and his leadership on defense could be just as pivotal as Lawrence's, if not more.
Could this be Vonn Bell 2.0 for the Bengals?
Back in June, I wrote about how Cook was a sturdy veteran who has experience in winning and is a vocal leader out in the secondary. I said that he could become what Vonn Bell was to the Bengals in 2021, when he wasn't just a playmaker but one of the faces of the defense in the Super Bowl year.
With the Bengals now choosing Cook as a captain, it just echoes the sentiment that he could become one of the key players on defense this season, despite all the attention landing on Dexter Lawrence.
In his first interview after being named as a captain, Cook showed why he is the sort of character that Zac Taylor would want to help lead the defense; he spoke to the Bengals' media about how his teammates will be able to rely on him this season.
"It’s an honour and a gift. It’s a privilege to be part of this group and to lead this team to something that we can hopefully talk about for years."
"I’m someone to depend on back there…someone to lean on when times are rough."Bryan Cook, Cincinnati Bengals
If he turns out to be anything like the sort of leader that Bell was in 2021, then the Bengals could have themselves one hell of a secondary this season.
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