Saints Name Tyler Shough, Cam Jordan Among 9 Captains for 2026

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The New Orleans Saints named their team captains Tuesday ahead of the 2026 season.

Returning as captains are edge rusher Cameron Jordan, center/guard Erik McCoy, safety Justin Reid and long snapper Zach Wood.

First-time captains include guard David Edwards, linebackers Kaden Elliss and Chris Rumph II, quarterback Tyler Shough and edge Chase Young.

Your 2026 Captains ⚜️ pic.twitter.com/IX3jGZvbCf
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) September 8, 2026

Edwards, in his eighth NFL season, previously played with the Buffalo Bills (2023–2025) and the Los Angeles Chargers (2019–2022).

Elliss spent his first four seasons in New Orleans before playing three years with the Atlanta Falcons (2023-25), marking this his fifth overall year with the Saints organization.

Rumph and Shough are entering their second season with New Orleans, while Young enters his third.

Head coach Kellen Moore explained the voting process during Wednesday’s post-practice media availability.

Nov 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) and Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson (71) battle for the ball during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Offense votes for offense, defense votes for defense, anybody a part of special teams votes for them,” Moore said. “They vote for two players in each category, and we tally them up and we try and find a line that we can draw. Again, there are nine here. There are probably 18, 20 guys who have votes.”

Jordan leads the group in experience, entering his 12th year as a team captain. McCoy and Wood both enter their fourth season as captains, while Reid serves for the second time since arriving in 2025.

Elliss and Young previously served as captains for other franchises: Elliss with the Falcons in 2025, and Young with the Washington Commanders in 2020 and 2021.

Shough Honored to Be Named Captain

Being named one of the Saints’ captains means a great deal to Shough, who is only in his second NFL season. He sees the honor as a reflection of the relationships and trust he has built in the locker room over the past two seasons.

“It means probably the most and probably the biggest thing I feel like I've accomplished in my career as far as just getting to know my teammates,” Shough said. “The NFL is such a hard business because there's so much fluidity.

“College, you're kind of growing up with a lot of the same buddies. The quarterback position, it's like you're named captain kind of automatically. But for me, I felt like with this business and the amount of guys that come in and out, you have to be really intentional about getting to know all of your teammates and operating.”

The Saints kick off the 2026 season against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 13.

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