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Chicago Bears Name 2026 Team Captains

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Ron Luce | Last updated Sep 8, 2026 5:00 PM ET

The Chicago Bears have named their five captains for the upcoming 2026 NFL season. The team has announced that QB Caleb Williams, OG Joe Thuney, LB TJ Edwards, DT Grady Jarrett, and K Cairo Santos will serve as the permanent captains. The team is balanced with two captains on offense and defense, plus Santos serving as the special teams captain.

Four of the five captains are the same from the 2025 season. Only Edwards, who replaces Kevin Byard, is a new face in 2026. That said, Edwards served as a team captain back in 2024 in Matt Eberflus’ final season as head coach. In addition, this is Caleb Williams’ third consecutive season as a captain of the Bears.

Notably, Ben Johnson had a sixth captain in 2025 that changed each week. There is the possibility that Ben Johnson brings that back in 2026. However, these five are the permanent captains for this upcoming season.

The Bears take on the Carolina Panthers this Sunday in their season opener. The game will kick off at 12 p.m. CT from Charlotte, NC.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

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