Joe Brady triples number of Bills captains in first season as coach

The Buffalo Bills have more captains this season. Three times more.

Buffalo named six captains for the 2026 season, tripling the number from each of the previous two years as Joe Brady begins his first season as head coach.

Quarterback Josh Allen and linebacker Terrel Bernard remain captains, but they're joined by tight end Dawson Knox , outside linebacker Bradley Chubb , long snapper Reid Ferguson and defensive back Sam Franklin Jr.

The group is evenly divided with two captains apiece on offense, defense and special teams.

Allen is a captain for the eighth consecutive season. Bernard earned the designation for the third straight year.

Knox and Chubb are the new captains on offense and defense. It's the first captain designation for Knox, who is entering his seventh NFL season, while Chubb was a captain with the Miami Dolphins last season before signing with Buffalo as a free agent in the offseason.

Ferguson, the longest-tenured player on the Bills roster and entering his 11th season with the Bills, is a captain for the third time. Franklin rounds out the group as a special teams captain.

The six captains represents a significant change from the past two seasons.

Allen and Bernard were Buffalo's only designated captains in 2024 and 2025. Allen has been a captain every season since 2019, his second year in the league. The Bills also used a 10-player leadership council in 2024.

The Bills had eight captains in 2023 and nine in 2022, the most during Sean McDermott's nine seasons as head coach.

Brady has returned to a larger group in his first season running the team.

The new leadership group will make its debut Sunday when the Bills open the regular season against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium.

QB Josh Allen: Eighth consecutive season

LB Terrel Bernard: Third consecutive season

OLB Bradley Chubb: First season with Buffalo; captain with Miami in 2025