This is really cool: the New Orleans Saints have named their seven team captains for the 2023 season, and four of them are first-timers (in New Orleans, anyway). The team has experienced a lot of turnover in recent years while endeavoring to add talent and remain competitive in the wide-open NFC, so it’s not too surprising to see new names in leadership positions.
Just three of last year’s six team captains are wearing the captain’s patch again this season, and the group has grown to seven players in total.
Two of these first-time Saints team captains are former rivals in the AFC West. Derek Carr is a captain on offense (replacing Jameis Winston), and his old foe Tyrann Mathieu is a new captain on defense (swapping out for Alvin Kamara within the group’s total count). And center Erik McCoy is a captain on offense for the first time, too (replacing Ryan Ramczyk). Long snapper Zach Wood will be wearing the captain patch on special teams (expanding the group from six to seven in total).
Here’s the full list, per Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan: