Editor’s note: The Bears kickoff the season on Sunday at noon vs. the Titans. Tune in to the Marquee Sports Network App immediately after the game for The Official Bears Postgame Live presented by United Airlines. For more information on how to watch, click here: https://www.marqueesportsnetwork.com/shows/bearspostgame/.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Kevin Byard III considers winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award as the NFL’s top individual honor. The veteran safety should know. He earned that honor in 2020.

What happened on Monday comes in at No. 2.

The Bears named Byard a team captain after being with the organization just a few months.

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The ninth-year veteran has seen so much during his NFL tenure, but learning he earned the “C” was a big moment. He’ll wear it for the first time Sunday against the Tennessee Titans – Bayard’s former team (more on that later) – at Soldier Field.

“All-Pros and Pro Bowls are really good, but you play this game for the respect of not only your opponent but the people within your organization,” Byard said Thursday in a one-on-one interview. “Being voted in by my teammates, it meant a lot. These are the guys I enjoy going to work with every day. For them to see me as one of the captains on the team means a lot.”

Byard earned respect on this team without demanding it. He read the room and noticed quite a few vocal leaders already in place. That was a sign he needed to walk in without fanfare and just do his thing, showing through work, consistency and routine that he knows how to act and how to fit right in.

Being a two-time first-team All-Pro also carries some weight, but his work ethic is what won the Bears over.

“My resume speaks for itself, so that garners a bit of respect off the rip, but I think I’m a natural born leader with how I carry myself,” Byard said. “I come to work every day just being me, leading by example with how I take care of my body and how I am in meetings and on the practice field. And then, I can be vocal when there’s time for that.

“But we have a lot of alpha dogs on this team, so I don’t feel like I have to impress my personality on this group. I wanted to come in and earn my respect with the guys and the leaders on the team. For those guys to accept me and allow me to have my voice as well means a lot.”

Byard is one of those dudes with league-wide respect despite not being a megastar. Casual fans outside the market where he plays may not know him, but those to pay close attention know how good he has been for so long. He’s an NFL ironman, someone who has missed one regular-season game in his career.

He joins a Bears secondary already loaded with talent and is curious to see how good this group can be.

“It’s easily the most talented secondary I have been a part of,” Byard said. “I’ve worked with a lot of good players over the years, but it’s going to be really exciting to watch us as we grow. I feel like, regardless of what it looks like on paper, the secondary will have to continue to come together. Our communication must be great, and it has been really good to this point. I’m excited to go out against Tennessee and have a great showing.”

Showing well on Sunday is important. Byard spent eight-plus seasons with the Titans, where the Middle Tennessee State alum entrenched himself in the community and among the organization’s lasting legends.  

Sunday will be the first time Byard meets the Titans from the opposing sideline. It’s not in Nashville, but it will still be a special moment.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say this game is going to mean a little bit more,” Byard said. “I have a lot of hands to shake and people to talk to pre-game. I have a lot of friends among former teammates and people within the organization. At the same time, though, I haven’t made this about me. It’s about the Chicago Bears and getting a win in Week 1. It will be all the more sweet when we get the ‘W,’ so I can talk trash to the guys.”

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