The Buffalo Bills made their biggest defensive shift in nearly a decade this offseason, replacing defensive-minded head coach Sean McDermott with Joe Brady and hiring Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator. With Leonhard came the signing of veteran edge defender Bradley Chubb.
Chubb has faded into the background of the NFL landscape over the last two years, missing the 2024 season with an ACL injury and playing for a bad Miami Dolphins team in 2025. But he's ready to step into a leadership role in Buffalo this season, and the Bills are clearly ready to rely on him.
The 30-year-old defender was officially named a team captain on Tuesday, signifying his crucial role on this Bills team.
Bills name Bradley Chubb captain before regular season opener
Chubb is one of six team captains, with two on offense, two on defense, and two on special teams. Josh Allen and Dawson Knox will captain the offense, Chubb and Terrell Bernard will captain the defense, and Reid Ferguson and Sam Franklin Jr. will captain the special teams.
Of the six captains, Chubb is the only player who was not on Buffalo's roster last season. He was a captain with the Dolphins last season, so the role isn't new to him.
That immediate trust is important to note, though. The Bills didn't have to see the veteran play a regular-season snap to put him into a leadership role.
Not only will Chubb be a leader in the locker room, but he'll also need to be a leader on the field for Buffalo. He was the defense's biggest addition this offseason and is expected to play an important role in the unit.
While Chubb hasn't played for Leonhard before, he has experience in the defensive scheme that Buffalo's coordinator comes from. Chubb was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2018, when Vance Joseph was the head coach. Leonhard coached under Joseph, who is now Denver's defensive coordinator, last season.
Across his seven NFL seasons, Chubb has started in 89 games. That's the most of any Bills starter on defense, by a fairly significant margin. His experience will be valuable for a relatively young Buffalo defensive front, with two 2025 draft picks set to start on the interior.
The veteran will captain his first game this weekend, when the Bills take on the Houston Texans on Sunday afternoon. Against an inconsistent Texans offensive line, Chubb could be set to show exactly why his coaching staff trusts him so much.
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