To be named a team captain, especially in football, is a very important and special recognition. These players are leaders on and off the field, in good and bad moments, inside the locker room, someone with a very positive spirit despite the outcome.
Ahead of the 2023-24 NFL Season opening week, the Denver Broncos announced that the team voted for their season captains, and came up with the following six players ...
Our 2023 Captains, as voted on by the team. 👏 pic.twitter.com/gcsyCHx4lg
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 6, 2023
Quarterback Russell Wilson:
Most of the time, the team selects their quarterback as one of their captains, since they are one of the team leaders on the field, they are also good leaders off the field. Despite having an awful first season with the Denver Broncos, Wilson showed the ability to make big plays. That can get the team up after a failure, and that is what a leader needs. To be someone who can take control of your guys, motivate them, and keep pushing the rest of the players through adversity. He looked good in preseason action, but now the games matter, and leadership on and off the field is a big key to success.
Receiver Courtland Sutton:
Courtland is a very impactful player for the Denver Broncos, in positive ways. He is entering year six with the Broncos and is a very well-respected player in the locker due to his leadership. Courtland is the most veteran player in the receiver room, so his help to the young guys gave him the honor to wear a captain patch during the 2023-24 NFL season. Sutton is a one-time Pro Bowler, and despite having a rough season in 2022, he still had the second-most yards in his career in a single season. With the addition of head coach Sean Payton, Sutton could bounce back and become a very important offensive weapon for Russell Wilson this year.
Offensive Tackle Mike McGlinchey:
McGlinchey, who signed with the Broncos in the 2023 free agency, has already been voted as a team captain, which says a lot for the player. A very experienced offensive tackle who has been a part of a winning team, the San Francisco 49ers. He had three out of five seasons with over 0.500 win-loss record. The Broncos signed McGlinchey to a huge five-year deal, with the expectations of him becoming a long-tenured consistent starting right tackle, after the team has failed to have a starting right tackle for more than two consecutive seasons.
Safety Justin Simmons:
Justin has been a clear example of a true leader on and off the field. Denver's Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee, the NFL interceptions co-leader, Pro Bowler, All-Pro ... simply a top-tier player, and a top-tier human being. For me, Simmons is one of the main faces of the Denver Broncos among the players, as he represents everything the Broncos need from a leader, and he is a huge leader for the younger guys in the locker, a perfect example of a great leader. On the field, Simmons is the anchor of the Broncos' defense and has become one of the best players in his position.
Safety Kareem Jackson:
The Broncos brought Kareem Jackson back in free agency for a reason, a true leader, a veteran who can be a great mentor for the young guys. He will probably not play as many snaps as he did in the past couple of seasons, but he is another very respected player in the locker and on the field. In 2023, it is expected that he will have a reduced role on the field, but off the field, and in the locker room, Kareem is a guy that every team would like to have.
Punter Riley Dixon:
Last but not least, Riley Dixon. The punter who started his career in Denver is back after five seasons with the Giants and Rams. With an upgraded special teams unit, Dixon makes a lot of sense to be a captain, especially with long-tenured kicker and captain Brandon McManus no longer on the team. Plus, Riley is a huge upgrade over Corliss Waitman, who was the Broncos' punter last season, and at the moment does not have a team.
This voting was made within the players, and in the end, the results, and the most-voted players were the six mentioned above.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton talked to the media about the importance of having team captains, by saying the following ...
""Generally speaking your better teams are player-led teams. Your average teams are coach-led teams and your poor teams really have no leadership. So I think it's important.""Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
For you ... what are the main responsibilities of a team captain, especially in the NFL?