Tampa Bay Buccaneers name their captains for 2019 season

After a grueling offseason of turnover and drama, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have named their six captains who will lead their team through the 2019 season.

Today, with less than a week to go and just a handful of practices before taking on the San Francisco 49ers in a week one matchup, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have named their six captains for the 2019 season. After an offseason of change and turnover, there are a handful of new names who will display the “C” on their jersey this year.

Offensively, quarterback Jameis Winston, wide receiver Mike Evans, and guard Ali Marpet have been voted as captains. The voted upon defensive captains are linebacker Lavonte David and pass rusher Carl Nassib; running back Dare Ogunbowale has been voted as the special teams captain by his fellow teammates in the pewter and red.

Winston has played well this preseason, failing to turn the ball over through all four games. More importantly, Winston stayed clean off of the field, apparently earning the trust of his teammates back after a suspension sidelined him for the first four games of the season a year ago.

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Wide Receiver Evans is the best player on this team and has been a steady force for Tampa over his five year career to this point. He, once again, gets to wear the captain’s badge on his jersey with pride.

The silent assassin of the Buccaneers, Marpet is among the most deserving of being a captain after being a solid presence along the offensive front while getting little of the credit. It is nice to see that his hard work and gritty attitude on the field has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

The least surprising captain of the bunch is David, who is one of the longest tenured Buccaneers and is now the leader of the defense after the departure of Gerald McCoy. David looks to rejuvenate his already solid career by moving to inside linebacker under new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.

The most surprising of voted captains is outside linebacker Carl Nassib, in only his second year with the Buccaneers after getting claimed off of waivers from the Cleveland Browns one year ago. From getting cut on Hard Knocks to being voted as a captain and starting in short time for Nassib, who is now both a financial advisor and a leader amongst his peers.

Finally, Ogunbowale inexplicably burst onto the scene this year after only contributing as a returner in limited appearances through the first two years of his career. Not only is Ogunbowale the special teams captain, but expect him to have a significant role on the offensive side of the ball carved out for him as well.

These six players are the peers that the significantly young Buccaneers will rely on throughout their first season under head coach Bruce Arians. All have earned their role on the field and now in the locker room as well for their work ethic and performance throughout the summer and preseason.