The Philadelphia Eagles have selected their leadership group for the 2026 NFL season, and one of the team’s ascending defensive stars has earned the honor for the first time.
Head coach Nick Sirianni notified the players during a team meeting Thursday that Saquon Barkley, Zack Baun, Jordan Davis, Jalen Hurts, Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata and DeVonta Smith will serve as captains.
Davis is the only first-time captain among the seven players. His selection comes after a breakout 2025 season and provides another indication of how much his role has grown within Philadelphia’s defense and locker room.
Reppin’ the C 🫡 pic.twitter.com/9vbGUBjHcD
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) September 4, 2026
The former first-round pick established career highs with 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss and six
passes defended last season. Davis also played more than 60% of the defensive snaps for the first time in his career before turning that performance into a long-term contract during the offseason.
Hurts remains the longest-tenured captain in the group. Philadelphia’s starting quarterback has received the honor in each of the past six seasons. Johnson was selected for the fifth time, while Mailata will serve as a captain for the third consecutive season. Barkley, Baun, and Smith are entering their second seasons in their leadership roles.
Barkley has now been named a captain seven times during his NFL career, including twice since joining Philadelphia in 2024. He followed his historic 2,000-yard championship season by recording a second consecutive 1,000-yard campaign in 2025.
Baun’s selection comes after consecutive Pro Bowl seasons at linebacker. Smith, meanwhile, has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards three times and is the franchise’s career leader in postseason receiving yards. Philadelphia’s seven captains represent the core of the roster, with four coming from the offense and three from the defense. Davis’ addition gives the defensive front an official representative and rewards his development into one of the Eagles’ most important players.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Eagles announce seven team captains for the 2026 season
