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Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears named eight captains for the 2024 season Monday, including rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
The selection process for team captains has historically been based on player voting. The No. 1 draft pick is the first rookie to earn the distinction since Bears coach Matt Eberflus was hired in 2022 and is believed to be the only first-year player in franchise history to be named a season-long captain since the team officially began appointing captains in 2007.
Williams’ leadership has been a hot topic throughout the offseason after the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner replaced quarterback Justin Fields, who was traded to Pittsburgh in March. The rookie’s ability to win over the locker room since arriving in May is among the highlights of his early Bears career for general manager Ryan Poles.
“It’s fairly natural,” Poles noted of Williams’ leadership. “It’s not forced. We’ve all been in teams before, but like there’s people that come into those situations and they try too hard. It’s like, man, it’s awkward. It’s hard to buy into that. Then there’s guys that they can navigate that so naturally because they’re authentic and it’s real, and that’s what he’s done. Then on top of that, just as a professional player, you have to perform, you have to do some things that guys are like, ‘OK, there’s something different about you.’ And then pair that with a good natural, just good social skills, some cool things happen and then leadership starts to blossom and that’s what you see now.”
Williams is among the youngest on the Bears roster to be named captain, while 40-year-old tight end Marcedes Lewis is the oldest. Wide receiver DJ Moore, tight end Cole Kmet, linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Kevin Byard III were also selected.