![The Cincinnati Bengals presumably will take elements of the white tiger's look for the team's new helmets in 2022. - Photo: Juan Camilo Guarin, Unsplash](https://media1.citybeat.com/citybeat/imager/u/blog/13497786/sports_whitetiger_bengalshelmetannouncement_byjuancamiloguarin_unsplash.jpg?cb=1709161590)
Photo: Juan Camilo Guarin, Unsplash
The Cincinnati Bengals presumably will take elements of the white tiger's look for the team's new helmets in 2022.
Last season brought new stripes. This season will bring a new color.
The Cincinnati Bengals announced July 14 that the team would introduce a white tiger-style helmet to the mix for the 2022-2023 season. The Bengals debuted new uniforms in 2021-2022 for the first time in 17 years but did not change the iconic orange helmet at that time.
In January 2021, the NFL announced that it would finally lift a long-held rule that prohibited secondary helmets. NFL.com writer Kevin Patra wrote at the time that the rule was in place for safety. The alternate helmets must be identical to primary helmets except for color and must be worn during practices before the game in which they'll be used.
The 2022 season will be the first in which the secondary helmet ban is gone. Franchises had until July 31 of last year to inform the NFL of their intent to use the additional helmet option for this season.
The Bengals did not release photos of the new white helmet, but the team did make a splash online with social media posts and a video on the Bengals' website around the theme "white Bengal." The video imitates nature programs that discover or monitor animals in the wild, claiming "Recently, photo crews captured rare footage of a new and exotic Bengal species spotted right here in The Jungle," referencing Cincinnati's Paul Brown Stadium. The video then cuts to footage of a white tiger.
The team has not revealed when fans might see the new helmet used during a game.Coming soon. #WhiteBengal
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) July 14, 2022
Presented by Swift Meats pic.twitter.com/FGcavLdjsm
The Cincinnati Bengals went to Super Bowl LVI in February, falling 20-23 to the Los Angeles Rams in the Bengals' first shot at the Vince Lombardi trophy since 1989. The team earned a 10-7 regular-season record for 2021-2022, won the AFC North, and pulled out magical win after magical win in the post-season — including the AFC Championship. Shortly after the Super Bowl, the Bengals extended head coach Zac Taylor's contract through 2026, and bookies gave the Bengals higher odds for the 2022-2023 season.
The Bengals' 2022-2023 season kicks off against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 11 at Paul Brown Stadium and will end on Jan. 7 or 8 in a battle with the Baltimore Ravens in Cincinnati.
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