The Chicago Bears have named Justin Fields, DJ Moore, Tremaine Edmunds and Eddie Jackson the team captains for 2023, per Kevin Fishbain. The Bears players voted on the captains and selected two newcomers in Moore and Edmunds for the honor.
It's not surprising to see Justin Fields named a captain in his third season. The starting quarterback is almost always a captain, and Fields was a captain in 2022 as well.
The Bears traded for DJ Moore to bolster the offense, which ranked last in basically every passing category last season. His talent should make Fields' life easier, and his captain status is an indication that he's already making an impact as a playmaker and a leader in the Bears locker room before the season has started.
As for the defensive captains, the Bears traded away both of their strongest defensive players and leaders last year. Those were Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn. Those moves served to save some money and open up space to rebuild a weak defense.
To replace Smith, Chicago signed former Buffalo Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds to a four-year contract. Edmunds was also a captain for the Bills in 2022. He's a two-time Pro Bowler who had 102 tackles, six tackles for loss and an interception in 13 games in 2022. He has 6.5 career sacks.
Eddie Jackson enters his seventh season as a starting safety for the Bears. He had 80 tackles and four touchdowns last year and was named a team captain after the Smith and Quinn trades. However, his season was cut short by a Lisfranc injury.
The Bears open the 2023 season at home against the Green Bay Packers in Week 1. The NFC North is up for grabs, and the Bears start the divisional matchups early.