Cincinnati Bengals tease new white helmet

Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow throws a pass as he participates in a drill during an NFL football practice in Cincinnati, Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

Credit: Aaron Doster

Credit: Aaron Doster

Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Burrow throws a pass as he participates in a drill during an NFL football practice in Cincinnati, Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

When the Cincinnati Bengals first introduced all white and black Color Rush uniforms back in 2016, then kept the concept as part of the remodel last year, one key piece was missing. A change in league rules will make it possible to complete what the team now is calling the “White Bengal” look.

Cincinnati teased an announcement of a white helmet “coming soon” in a hype video posted on social media accounts Thursday morning. No photos of the new look were released, but another post showed what appeared to be a white helmet with black stripes.

“For over 50 years, Bengal tigers have roamed the Cincinnati jungle, renowned around the world for their unique stripes and ferocious play,” the narrator said in the teaser video. “But, recently, photo crews captured rare footage of a new and exotic Bengal species spotted right here in the jungle.”

For nearly a decade, the league insisted on teams using just one helmet for the entire season. However, in 2021, an NFL rule change allowed teams to wear a designated alternate helmet with their alternate uniforms for a limited number of games per year.

That means the White Bengal helmet won’t be a regular occurrence, but Cincinnati can complete the look it donned in Week 1 last year when the players wore white jerseys, pants and socks.

“When you’re wearing a helmet like that it’s one of those situations you either got to put up or shut up,” former Bengals wide receiver Cris Collinsworth said in an old interview clip used in the tease video.

The Bengals are the latest team to take advantage of the rule change, giving the fans what they’ve been asking for for some time. The Houston Texans announced their new “Battle Red” helmets earlier this week.

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