Caleb Williams Named Bears Captain for Third Straight Year as Chicago's Leadership Group Resets Before Week 1
Coach Ben Johnson named five team captains Tuesday at Halas Hall, with one new face stepping in for a departed leader who landed with the team the Bears watch open the NFL season tonight.
The Chicago Bears' locker room picked its leaders for the season ahead. Quarterback Caleb Williams, guard Joe Thuney, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, and kicker Cairo Santos were all voted team captains again for 2026, and linebacker T.J. Edwards joins them as the group's one new addition — stepping in for safety Kevin Byard III, who left Chicago in free agency this offseason.
It's the third straight year Williams has worn a captain's patch, dating back to his rookie season in 2024 when the No. 1 overall pick was voted a captain before he'd played a single regular-season snap. Coach Ben Johnson announced the vote results before Tuesday's padded practice, a small but pointed marker of how much the locker room's culture has solidified under him heading into his second season running the team.
Useful next steps
Byard's departure is what makes this particular captain class notable beyond the routine. He signed with the New England Patriots in March — the same Patriots team that opens the 2026 season tonight against the Seattle Seahawks, less than a week before Chicago's own opener. Edwards, a steady presence at linebacker since arriving via free agency in 2023, was the logical replacement, and his teammates made it official with the vote.
The timing puts a real deadline on all of this: Chicago opens its regular season Sunday, September 13, on the road against the Carolina Panthers, a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX. Whatever this leadership group is going to be for the Bears in 2026, it starts getting tested for real in five days.
Williams, 24, is wearing the patch off real production now, not just draft pedigree — he threw for a franchise-record 3,942 yards with 27 touchdowns against just seven interceptions in 17 starts last season, his first under Johnson. It's a real turnaround: a year ago, evaluators were openly using the word "bust" around Williams; this offseason, a league-wide poll of coaches, GMs, and executives ranked him the No. 9 quarterback in football heading into 2026.
He's taken complete control of what we're trying to do, and so we're on the right track.— Ben Johnson, Bears head coach
The breakout narrative papers over a real statistical soft spot, though: Williams completed just 58.1% of his passes last season, 36th out of 38 qualified quarterbacks — a genuinely poor number for someone now being talked about as a top-10 arm. Our take: the captaincy and the coach's public confidence are real and earned, but until that completion rate climbs into respectable territory, "top-10 quarterback" is still more projection than proof.
Week 1 Prediction: Score, Spread & Player Prop
Bears -2.5 road favorites (moneyline -158, Panthers +134), per FanDuel and CBS Sports.
Total sits at 47.5, up from an opening 44.5, with slight Under lean (-120). Our pick: Bears 27, Panthers 20 (Over).
Caleb Williams OVER 1.5 passing touchdowns. Chicago's 11-win, division-winning 2025 offense under Johnson leaned heavily on Williams in scoring position all year.
Odds and props reflect market consensus across DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM as of this week — lines move, so check your own sportsbook before kickoff.
How the 2026 captain class came together
Kevin Byard III, one of the Bears' five 2025 captains, signs with the New England Patriots in free agency.
Chicago finalizes its initial 53-man roster ahead of the season, trimming down from 90 players.
Ben Johnson announces the players' vote: Williams, Thuney, Jarrett, Santos return as captains, with T.J. Edwards added.
Bears open the regular season at the Carolina Panthers, 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX.
Five captains, one new face, and five days until the only vote that actually matters starts getting counted on a scoreboard.
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Sources: Chicago Sun-Times, Windy City Gridiron, NFL.com, SI.com Betting