The countdown to the start of the 2025 NFL season is officially under one week, and because that’s the case, it means the Chicago Bears and 31 other teams around the league have locked in important decisions that will impact the campaign ahead. On September 2, the Bears announced their Week 1 depth chart and five season-long captains, and each announcement came with a few surprises.
First, we’ll take a look at the depth chart, which had a few spots up for grabs heading into the final weeks of the preseason. Who would be starting at left tackle? Would Tyrique Stevenson hang onto his starting cornerback position after a shaky second season in the NFL? And where would rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden land heading into Week 1?
Then, we’ll evaluate the Chicago’s team captains, voted on by the players, and explore why two players who have yet to play a single regular season game for the Bears earned the right to have the ‘C’ on their chest throughout the year.
Braxton Jones Gets the Nod in Week 1 Depth Chart That Prioritizes 12-Personnel
The summer-long competition to determine who would be protecting Caleb Williams’ blindside this season officially concluded on Tuesday, as the Bears somewhat predictably named Braxton Jones the starting left tackle for the fourth straight season. Frankly, the writing was on the wall ever since rookie Ozzy Trapilo seemed to take a step back in the middle of training camp. Now, Trapilo finds himself listed as the second-team right tackle.
Although this is certainly a victory for Jones, who is still not 100 percent recovered from a late-season injury sustained last fall, it’s expected that he’ll be on a relatively short leash as the season progresses. Head coach Ben Johnson has said over the last few weeks that this would be a very fluid situation which could change as the season goes on, and his comments after the reveal of the depth chart weren’t quite a ringing endorsement for the fourth-year left tackle.
“He knows what he’s doing,” Johnson said on September 2, per Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “Is it perfect every play? No, it’s not. But we did see the execution go up over the course of the last few weeks, so there is a trust level in him knowing what to do. We think he’s going to continue to ascend the more reps that he gets.”
Perhaps an even bigger surprise on the offensive side of the depth chart is that the Bears are using 12 personnel — one running back, two wide receivers and two tight ends — as their base look. In addition to starting running back D’Andre Swift and top two wideouts DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, it’s both Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland who are listed as first-teamers.
This isn’t a stunner by any means, given Ben Johnson’s previous usage of 12 personnel in Detroit, but it does offer a departure from what we typically see from teams depth charts. Since the disappearance of the fullback in the early 2000s, most teams operate out of 11 personnel as their base, giving three wide receivers the opportunity to earn the distinction as “first-team” players.
Considering the frequency with which we’ll see Kmet and Loveland on the field at the same time this year, it makes sense that the Bears would list both players as starters. As a result, it’s Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay listed as second-team wide receivers, while Burden and training camp standout Jahdae Walker are on the third-team.
Elsewhere, Tyrique Stevenson was able to hold off the competition and retain his starting job opposite Jaylon Johnson, who avoided being left off of the 53-man roster after missing all of training camp due to a “freak accident” in the offseason that resulted in a groin injury.
Two Bears Newcomers Among Five Team Captains
The one common through line for the five players named team captains for the Bears this year is experience, as four of the five choices are among the most seasoned players on the roster. In addition to Caleb Williams, who earns the distinction for the second straight season as QB1, safety Kevin Byard, kicker Cairo Santos, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and guard Joe Thuney were the other four players chosen to represent the team as captains.
Jarrett and Thuney could be considered somewhat surprising choices, considering they only arrived in Chicago back in March. However, given their experience and success in the NFL, it stands to reason they’d be among the most well-respected voices in the Bears locker room. Thuney is a multi-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro. Jarrett has made a pair of Pro Bowls and spent ten years as the anchor of the Atlanta Falcons defensive line.
“These five guys emulate what it means to be leaders,” general manager Ryan Poles said on Tuesday. “Voted on by their peers, they are who our locker room look to for leadership and we are excited for them to lead the charge heading into our 2025 season.”
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