The Bengals voted four new captains for the season that opens in Cleveland Sunday (1 p.m.-Cincinnati's FOX 19) in an election that didn't exactly shift the balance of power in the locker room.

The quartet joining the return trio of quarterback Joe Burrow, left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and center Ted Karras have been mainstays in the Burrow Era, started Super Bowl LVI and have long been considered team leaders without wearing the 'C.'

Triple Crown wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase and defending NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson are no-brainers. So, too, are defensive tackle B.J. Hill and linebacker Logan Wilson on a defense that has no returning captains but now has three of them who, come Sunday, are playing in their combined 200^th Bengals game.

"They're the group that I'm going to call in my office, get their opinion on schedule, my thoughts for the week going into an opponent, issues we may have around the building, in the locker room," said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor after Monday's practice.

"They're the sounding board that I have to be able to trust, and they've got to be able to trust me. And they are the first ones I turn to. There's plenty of people that aren't elected captains that, over the course of the season, I've looked for input from, but this is certainly a group that I start with, and I think it's a good group of seven guys that I trust, and I think the players made the right call."

Chase is a welcome addition to the offensive side of the ball, and it certainly didn't surprise anybody. Burrow and Chase, teammates for eight seasons going back to LSU in 2018, have hooked up again.

"These two guys. They gave them, what? A quarter of a bill?" Karras asked of the historic Burrow and Chase multi-year contracts. "They've been here every single day in the spring. No vet days. Really doing all the right things.

"(Chase) earned a lot of respect and, obviously, received the vote of his peers … I think he's earned every bit of it. Earned every bit of his contract, every bit of the respect of his teammates. We're counting on him to be the guy that he is."

If anyone knows the guy Chase is, it is fellow big-time wide receiver Tee Higgins. He's been here a year longer than Chase and is one of those guys who is a 'C,' without it on his uniform.

"You can't ask for more things in a captain," Higgins said. "He gets along with everybody in the (wide receiver) room. Everybody in the locker room. He challenges guys whether it's on offense or defense every day."

That was on display during training camp. After wide receivers coach Troy Walters suggested in the offseason he get a little more vocal, Chase stepped up and took on all comers during spirited practices with the secondary and the rest of the defense.

"I think Ja'Marr has been a great leader for us. He's been a guy that's always given me honest feedback whenever I ask for it," Taylor said. "The players elected him as captain, and I think he's earned it through the way that he works. Leads by example, brings a lot of energy to practice and games, and is one of the top performers we have. I think it's fitting for him to be elected captain."

He said the same things about the slate of new defensive captains. So did sophomore cornerback Josh Newton, a developing captain himself.

"Type of players you want to lead you to the promised land," Newton said. "Consistent guys. Hard-working guys. Experienced guys. These guys don't take a play off. They're hard not to follow."

Wilson, a three-time captain at Wyoming, has always acted like one since he got the starting job the year the Bengals went to the Super Bowl in his second season. As the man with the green dot on his helmet talking to coaches and communicating every play with past captains like DJ Reader up front and Vonn Bell in the back, leading is as natural as it gets.

Now he's got a 'C" of his own and he's honored.

"I always looked at myself as a leader by example," Wilson said. "I'm not the rah-rah type that gets you going energy type of guy. I'm just going to lead by example, play at a high level, do the same things the right way.

"Wearing the green dot, you're literally looking at me for the call. You're the middle man between the back-end guys and the front guys. It's important to have people on the same page. I've taken a lot of pride in that over the years as I've grown into that role."

Hendrickson and Hill are two guys who also wore the C without wearing the C. Just this past camp, Hendrickson was holding-in, and still walked and talked first-round pick Shemar Stewart through his first NFL camp.

"He's always been (a captain) no matter what," Hill said. "The last four, shoot the last five years, he's been there."

Hendrickson and Hill both arrived in 2021 and emerged as playoff heroes on the way to the Super Bowl. Hendrickson became the richest Bengals free agent in history when he signed that March and Hill arrived on the doorstep of the season when the Bengals traded first-round draft pick Billy Price for him. Hill is now in the first year of his second three-year deal with the club.

"I just want to win a lot of games, make plays, and make this team better," said Hill, embracing his first official captaincy since his senior year at North Carolina State. "That's my goal at the end of the day. I was awarded captain and that's a special thing and I take pride in that."

As heads into his fifth Bengals season, the only difference is now the 'C,' is on his chest instead of in it.

"I've always been that type of guy that carried himself in a way people respected," Hill said. "I'm excited for the opportunity."