Report: Jason McCourty, Ja'Whaun Bentley, Lawrence Guy Named Patriots Captains For First Time
BOSTON (CBS) -- It is a season of major change for the New England Patriots, so it's only appropriate that the team gets gets some new captains.
The Boston Globe's Jim McBride reported Wednesday night that the team has selected its four defensive captains, with three of them earning the honor for the first time.
McBride reported that the Patriots' defensive captains are Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, Ja'Whaun Bentley and Lawrence Guy. Additionally, Matthew Slater has been named special teams captain for the 10th straight season. The offensive captains are Cam Newton, James White, and David Andrews.
For Devin McCourty, this marks his 10th straight season as a captain, dating back to his second NFL season in 2011.
For the other three, this is their first time being a Patriots captain.
Jason McCourty joined the Patriots in 2018, helping the team to a Super Bowl title in his first year in New England. Injuries limited Jason to just 12 games and 47 percent of the team's defensive snaps last year, but the 33-year-old remains an impactful leader in the locker room.
Bentley, 24, earns the honors in just his third NFL season. A fifth-round pick in 2018, Bentley will need to work overtime to try to fill the void in the linebacking corps left by the departures of Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins, as well as the high-profile opt-out from Dont'a Hightower, who locked down the middle of the Patriots' defense for the better part of a decade.
Guy, 30, is entering his fourth season with the Patriots, having won a Super Bowl with the team in 2018. Guy's importance to the coaching staff and front office was evident when the team opted to give him his $400,000 bonus despite his coming up short on the playing time incentive.
Last year's defensive captains were Hightower, Devin McCourty, and Elandon Roberts, who also departed the linebacking corps in free agency this offseason.
