The vote is in.
At his press conference following the team’s practice on Wednesday, head coach Bruce Arians announced the Bucs’ captains for the 2019 season.
On offense the captains will be quarterback Jameis Winston, guard Ali Marpet and wide receiver Mike Evans, while on defense linebacker Lavonte David and linebacker Carl Nassib earned the “C” patch on their jersey by their teammates. For special teams, the captain will be Dare Ogunbowale.
“I’m just humbled that the guys would choose us to be their leaders,” Winston said as he addressed the media on Wednesday. “Having that “C” on my chest definitely means a lot, so it’s my duty to serve my teammates the best I possibly can.”
Marpet weighed in during the day’s open locker room period.
“It’s a tremendous honor, to represent the O-line and the team,” Marpet said. “I think the guys that were selected, it’s a big group but there’s a lot of leaders on this team and not just the guys who were selected to be captain.”
Winston, Marpet, Evans and David have all been voted as captains numerous times throughout their tenure in Tampa Bay, but for Ogunbowale and Nassib it’s a bit of a different story.
Around this time last season Nassib was just joining the Bucs after being waived by the Cleveland Browns following the preseason before going on to rack up 6.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in Tampa.
For Ogunbowale, the third-year back made his way to Houston and Washington’s practice squads, with a short stint in Tampa mixed in, before sticking with the Bucs and earning his first spot on an opening day 53-man roster this year.
“It means a lot, it’s an honor,” Ogunbowale said. “To have my teammates vote for me and see me as a leader, see me as a guy that they trust, it means a lot.”