A decision at LT & a new captain: What to make of 3 key developments for the Chicago Bears before Week 1

Welcome to Week 1. The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the Carolina Panthers.

Before that, they need to prepare properly. That all began Tuesday.

There were three key developments for the Bears as they started preparations for Opening Day. Here's what to make of them.

Jones, Woods seemingly win position battles - for now

Johnson announced Tuesday that Braxton Jones will be the Bears' starting left tackle in 2026. On the team's unofficial depth chart, Xavier Woods was the first-team safety.

Also of note, Cam Lewis, who was battling Woods for the first-team safety position next to rookie Dillon Thieneman, was listed as the first-team nickel cornerback over rookie Malik Muhammad.

It seems the Bears are favoring experience at their key positions. This isn't too surprising, especially since the Bears have done that in the past.

Players need to earn their spots, and they've done that. Thieneman earned his.

For players like Woods, Jones and Lewis, they're apparently slotted in as starters. Now, it remains to be seen if they'll keep those roles. 

Jones might have the shortest leash, especially as left tackle Ozzy Trapilo recovers from his torn patellar injury in what seems to be a record time.

"I think it's a matter of time. I can't say it's in the near future," Johnson said. "It's been beyond impressive that he's where he is today."

Kyler Gordon steps away from the team

The Bears' injury report has taken over most of the dialogue in training camp. From Coby Bryant to Rome Odunze, it never seemed like the injury news stopped.

At least with some players, they've gotten back on the field. Kyle Monangai and Austin Booker were week-to-week, and they practiced on Monday and Tuesday. Odunze didn't practice on Monday, but it's not a re-aggrivation of the foot injury that kept him out late last season.

Bears' defensive back Kyler Gordon remains a mystery, though. Last week, Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Gordon was with the team and rehabbing at Halas Hall. That's apparently changed.

According to ESPN and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Gordon is away from the team and is working with his own trainer in order to accelerate his recovery.

Rapoport did say the overall plan is for Gordon to return a few weeks into the season. Then, he'll start practicing shortly after that.

This is another layer of this situation the Bears need to navigate. Poles said last week Gordon was with the team and now he isn't, which is on top of how the Bears are beginning to publicly mention the frustration between the two sides.

"Anytime you have an injury and you're coming back from something, there's discomfort that you have to push through," Poles said last week. "That's what it comes down to. We haven’t been able to get over that hump, and we’re not progressing as fast as we would like. That's really all I have to say about that."

The Bears' circle of trust

There's one change to the Bears' leadership team.

Caleb Williams, Joe Thuney, TJ Edwards, Grady Jarrett and Cairo Santos were all named team captains on Tuesday. Williams, Thuney, Jarrett and Santos were all captains for the 2025 season.

"A lot of responsibility comes with that," Johnson said. "They go about their business the right way." 

It makes sense Thuney remains a captain. He's by far the best overall player on the roster, and leads in his own way. Williams does the same as a rising star and the franchise quarterback. Jarrett is a vocal leader who has also demonstrated the ability to lead by example; this also applies to Santos.

The newest captain is Edwards, and this makes worlds of sense. He's been with the team since 2023 and was a team captain in 2024. He has an understanding of the responsibilities that come with the role, even though there was a larger number of team leaders in 2023 with eight captains.

The Bears, like with their depth chart, are banking on experience in this regard, too.