At the Apex: Chicago Bears 2024 captains

Story by Gabby Hajduk

ChicagoBears.com sat down with all eight of the team's season-long captains and coach Matt Eberflus ahead of the 2024 season.

Apex (noun): the top or highest part of something, especially one forming a point

Five weeks ago in Canton, Ohio — ahead of the Bears-Texans preseason-opening Hall of Fame Game — coach Matt Eberflus initiated the captain selection process.

Eberflus carefully selected 22 players consisting of mostly starters on the offense and defense, along with veteran kicker Cairo Santos, to form what he called the "apex leadership group." The group would serve as communicators from the locker room to Eberflus, ensuring cohesion across the team in terms of scheduling, energy and culture.

Last week, with the preseason having concluded and the Bears regular-season opener on the horizon, Eberflus needed to narrow down his apex leadership group to a smaller unit of team captains. In years past, Eberflus named four season-long captains and left space for a rotating honorary captain. This season, the third-year head coach planned for six permanent captains — three offensive players and three defensive players.

In a team meeting, Eberflus asked every player to rank their top three choices for captains on both sides of the ball.

"Man, it was so good because I had literally 10 guys that had a wide dispersion of votes with ones and twos," Eberflus said. "It was so good to see that we have that deep leadership, throughout the whole football team. That's what made me excited."

Eberflus would need to reevaluate. Even by preparing for six captains, the coach had still underestimated the surplus of leadership that players found inside locker room. The vote uncovered that not one individual significantly rose above the rest.

Eight players, ranging from a rookie quarterback to a 19-year veteran, emerged together to form the peak in the locker room. Within that group, Eberflus found no doubts in their ability to lead the 2024 Chicago Bears.

Now, cornerback Jaylon Johnson, receiver DJ Moore, quarterback Caleb Williams, safety Kevin Byard III, linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards and tight ends Marcedes Lewis and Cole Kmet are tasked with not only wearing the "C" on their chest each week but bringing every other player up to the apex with them.

"It's their locker room," Eberflus said. "I told them it's their team. We're gonna give you the keys. We're gonna prepare you how to drive and all those things, and we're gonna be there to help you. But it's their team. They gotta drive it."

For each player, becoming a captain is a meaningful and sometimes emotional moment. The honor is a sign of respect from their teammates, a symbol of their character and a representation of their contributions.

While the title's significance doesn't fluctuate between players, its meaning varies.

For first-time captains and hometown heroes like Kmet and Edwards, the honor reaches deep parts of their childhoods.

"For me, this is the honor of a lifetime and probably the coolest thing I've had happen to me in my career so far," Kmet said. "I mean, it's like what you dream about growing up. The next aspect of it is to win the Super Bowl. But to be a captain of a Chicago sports team is crazy, and then for it to be the Bears is just unbelievable."

"10-year-old me would be pretty happy," Edwards added. "Something you dream of is one, playing here and playing well here, but wearing that 'C' is something special. It's a great group of guys, but it definitely holds a little more weight being from here and understanding what that means."

As a nine-year pro and longtime captain for the Titans, Byard is the only veteran newcomer to don the "C" for the Bears this year. Along with being nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year — an honor Byard received in 2020 — he believes the captain title is one of the greatest achievements an NFL player can earn.

"We play this game for the respect level — obviously, respect level of your opponents, but more so the respect level of the people that's in your building," Byard said. "To be voted captain, obviously just getting here, this team has just opened their arms to me and allowed me to be myself. It means a lot to be thought about as a leader of the team."

For a returning Bears captain like Moore — who earned the title for the first time in his career last season — it's an ode to his continuity and personal growth in Chicago.

"It means I didn't take a step back this year," Moore said. "So, getting better with time and being a captain, I think it solidifies that you are one of the important pieces to the team in the eyes of everybody in the organization and especially your teammates."

Between all eight players, the role of a captain for this team can be narrowed down into three overarching responsibilities: be a constant communicator, lead by example and uphold the team's standard.

While each player is expected to exemplify all three throughout the season, the responsibilities will manifest in different forms.

When it comes to communication, Lewis and Williams have some of the more specialized roles. As the most experienced player in the locker room — so much so he's three years older than tight end coach Jim Dray — Lewis typically prefers that his actions and habits do the talking for him. However, his wisdom holds so much value that his vocal leadership is a necessity.

"It's being a bridge and a conduit almost, between the locker room and the front office," Lewis said. "Obviously, I'm 40 years old now. … I'm able to get messages across and be a vessel for the coaching staff to my teammates, and in a way that they understand it."

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Williams — the first Bears rookie captain since the NFL officialized the title in 2007.

"I can bring this perspective of the young guy, of new ways," Williams added. "I was in a similar role of speaking to [USC coach] Lincoln Riley about things between the locker room and coach that there was maybe a disconnect on. Being in this role here has been similar for me, so it's gonna be awesome. I can't wait to lead these guys."

As it pertains to leading by example, everyone on the roster that general manager Ryan Poles and Eberflus have built possesses that quality, whether that means arriving to Halas Hall early, watching extra film or giving 100 percent in workouts and practice.

Still, there's not many who embody that role better than Edmunds, who has been a captain in the league every year other than his rookie season in 2018. The linebacker aims to lead by example not just through his actions, but also through his ability to express his genuine self to his teammates.

"As an individual, as a man, you respect another man for being consistent, being somebody that's relatable," Edmunds said. "You have to meet everybody where they're at. That's the thing about the league — everybody has a different journey. Everybody has different experiences, and that's part of being a leader. When you have that mindset, guys are gonna naturally open up to you about certain things. Guys wanna follow you."

Johnson and Kmet — both 2020 draft picks who earned second contracts with the Bears — are examples of players who embraced the standard set by Poles and Eberflus when they were hired in 2022. As captains, they take pride in personifying the standard and ensuring all 53 players uphold it.

"It's just a certain level of accountability that is to be had when you want a certain level of greatness," Johnson said. "We keep talking about winning, and we have a special locker room and a special roster, and we have all these different guys. But it takes a certain level of accountability to keep the standard that we set for ourselves. For me, it's being one of those guys that can definitely keep the standard and also hold others accountable to that standard."

There is no shying away from the energy that has surrounded the Bears organization since the conclusion of last season.

The excitement was sparked back in 2023 when the Bears defense surged through the ranks with a stifling run defense and knack for takeaways to help the team finish 4-2 in their final six contests. It continued through the early spring with free-agent signings and veteran trade acquisitions. It soared in late April as general manager Poles drafted Williams and receiver Rome Odunze with the No. 1 and No. 9 overall draft picks. It carried over into minicamp, OTAs, training camp and the preseason.

Now with kickoff to Week 1 days away, the excitement has reached its peak.

To embrace the energy and excitement, the Bears captains share their messages before kickoff.

To the locker room:

"Own our standard and make sure that we always stick to our standard — never dip below that. … I think we're good enough to do that, and nobody has to go out there and be Superman. Just be your absolute best on that play, on that day, in that game, and we'll be just fine." – Marcedes Lewis

"Let's just be special this year. No holding back." – DJ Moore

"Do our best to manage expectations. We have a lot of talent. We have a great roster. We have a great team. We really know where we're going. I think the main thing is understanding that when adversity hits — because it's gonna hit eventually — that we stick together as a team. As long as we do that, we'll be right where we need to be towards the end of the season because pressure makes diamonds." – Kevin Byard III

To the fans:

"You are gonna be able to feel the connection, the team bonding that we have, the chemistry that we have. Everything is not gonna be perfect. Sometimes you gotta get through the rain, get through the storm, and get on the other side of it … because there's always sunshine coming. The support from the fans, support from the city is gonna bring us over those humps as well. We feel that, and it's gonna be contagious out there." – Tremaine Edmunds

"Growing up in this, I always know there's buzz come football time in the city of Chicago. That's what we live for is football. … I think come Sunday, you're gonna see a group that cares about each other and wants to win more than anything." – T.J. Edwards

Finally, to the team and fans alike:

"I like to include everybody, and what I've seen is that we're all excited. We're all ready for the moment. Whether it's the fans showing up to games and being ready to cheer us on, be those die-hard fans that they are, whether it's the coaches in here preparing, sacrificing, things like that. And then it's us going out there on Sundays and making everybody's experience — even our teammates'—worthwhile, because the most important thing is winning." – Caleb Williams