Chicago Bears Question Of The Day: Are The ‘26 Bears Lacking Leadership?

The other night, YouTube recommended that I watch the end of the Bears v. Packers part II, starting at the Romeo Doubs muffed onside kick. I happily obliged, as I sought some comfort while Chicago’s week-long weather mish mash raged on.

As I was watching, a series of events made me think about the Bears leadership in 2025. Tremaine Edmunds made a great pass breakup in the end zone. Jaquan Brisker made a great play on another ball. Kevin Byard led the Bears at the coin flip entering overtime. Then DJ Moore called game by receiving a bomb.

It was the first time I had watched any Bears highlights since some major roster moves had been made. 2025 showed a mix of guys who were capable of stepping up in critical moments in critical games. Many of these guys were leaders, captains even, as voted by their teammates. Brisker, while not a captain, was still a major emotional force on the defense.

Is this a problem? Have the Bears hollowed out their locker room stability in search of cap stability? It’s hard to say for sure. So I thought I would consult some of the sharpest fans around to give me your takes.

Are the Bears lacking leadership heading into 2026?

Let’s think about this systematically. Below are the Chicago Bears captains from the last two seasons:

2024: Caleb Williams, DJ Moore, Cole Kmet, Marcedes Lewis, TJ Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, Jaylon Johnson, Kevin Byard

2025: Caleb Williams, Joe Thuney, Grady Jarrett, Kevin Byard, Cairo Santos

So that is 5 of 13 captains gone from the last two seasons, with 4 of them being gone in recent transactions.

So, while they have lost leadership, they still have lots of players like Caleb, Thuney, Jarrett, Edwards, Kmet, JJ, and Cairo to lean on.

It’s clear that the Bears biggest losses from a leadership perspective are Tremaine Edmunds, DJ Moore, and Kevin Byard. So who are the guys slated to replace them?

Tremaine Edmunds —> Devin Bush

• Prior to the last two seasons, Bush was most known for a few things:
  • scuffing up the Michigan State logo while playing for Michigan
  • not living up to the hype for the Steelers.
• After an exceptional rookie season, he looked lost until he found his way to Cleveland, and has since turned his career around.
• Not much information is listed about potential leadership traits, but it is clear that he has put in the work to salvage a career that was in decline, showing resolve. His interviews with reporters show a young man who says all the right things.

Kevin Byard —> Coby Bryant

• Bryant is still relatively young (26) and has been overshadowed by other talented defenders around him like Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love, and Riq Woolen.
• Bryant has cited in press conferences that he has more to show from a leadership perspective. It is notable that Bryant comes from a defense where everyone has been coached to be selfless and work as a unit.

DJ Moore —> Kalif Raymond

• Kalif Raymond returns to Ben Johnson after playing in Detroit for one season under a different OC. Raymond is the lone replacement that is older than the others.
• Raymond has been effusive about Johnson and adding to a talented Bears offense since signing, citing Johnson’s work ethic as being contagious.

It’s clear that the players replacing the Bears departing leadership is not as traditionally known for being team leaders, so the expectation is that the Bears hope that the additional talent and other internal leaders can fill the void.

Now it’s your turn! Are the Bears lacking leadership heading into 2026? Sound off in the comments!