how did you find out about Captain uh at the end of is a practice or a walk through uh last week you yeah what does it mean I know it's secondary rad now to H that honor from your teammates I don't know uh I don't know if it's because I'm popular or like I'm a real leader uh I leave by example I think it's cuz both I think it's because I'm like the class clown at the same time but I be serious at the same time so soon as we step on the field I think that's what uh everybody looks at and then I don't know if everybody finds me funny but I think I'm pretty funny don't get a ton of rookies who get team captain on what does it say about Caleb to to get the recognition uh I mean he go he went out there and proved himself uh took command of the offense and he he start opening up and I guess people saw that and we rocking with him did you did he surprise you this this training camp with just kind of how he took the Reigns and how he improved and played like that did he n he didn't surprise me uh I mean when you're number one overall pick you better go out there and make some make some shake I'm might to curse but uh you better make something shake and he went out there and exceeded uh everything that we had uh set for him as you competed more and more against Jaylen Johnson coup years what stands out to you about him as a corner uh especially this year it was hard to catch against he uh I don't know what it was he living right and uh I know him and Keenan had that back and forth but uh yeah he was he was out there like a lock down Corner didn't matter who or what play it was he was out there competing how do how do you describe that competitive side of him seems like that edge is pretty pretty sharp in pronounce yeah he got something to prove this year uh I think he just want to go out there and prove that he can be uh the top uh DB top corner out there uh that's what you proving what are you more what are you most curious about to see from Caleb in this first game I don't know I just want him to go out there and play football for real for real uh do what he's been doing um he a winner so lead us to a win and uh like everybody been saying you got a bunch of weapons out there like just go out there just point guard to ball like like it's basketball um he he'll be all right I ain't too worried about him did you did you take ownership of where things were headed as a team when you got here and a lot has changed since then like you've been productive you've been in the locker room you have the contract now but was that pretty early where you said I want to be part of what steering the Bears well as far as last year yeah yeah Captain I just I just oh all right cool know what I didn't know what you were saying to a new team I mean you hadn't been part of things here but it seemed like very early on people looked to you to I don't know what your perspective yeah that's what that's that's what I was I was confused too because in Carolina I wasn't a captain but I get here I'm automatically a captain the first year I was I was surprised so your guess is as good as mine on that one but to answer your question uh I mean I show showed up every day working I really didn't have no feels or bad energy towards being here last year uh this year I think everybody got to know me uh because of last year and then this year I kind of like opened up more to the locker room so they see who I really was and how I really am as a person how high was the bar for Caleb to have to get to as far as a leader because I mean Justin left this place he's universally loved and Caleb comes in and doesn't seem like it took him very long to get you guys veterans especially to respect them I mean when you come to work every day like he did and uh go through the things that he had to grow through um especially against the defense and you see the work that he's put was putting in day in and day out I mean you can't do anything but respect that and want him to be a captain for you we keep hearing about the authenticity and Ryan PA said last week that his personality it's not forced like sometimes you feel like guys can be awkward when they come in and trying to get guys to you know follow them how has he been shown you the authentic side that has galvanized so many of you to you know get behind him yeah I don't think he was looking for anybody to get behind him uh and follow follow his lead uh I think he let it just come naturally and uh once he got comfortable I mean it it took him a while to get comfortable and uh start start opening up and uh being who he truly was um because he had he did have to go through learning the offense learning everybody learning learning different things and once he did that everybody just started gravit to him and he's a captain now you do your thing regardless but does it matter to you on the compe side like where you are kind of view in terms of receivers around the league do you have your own opinion about it or do you care about outside of pin um I know I'm top 10 like but will it be known no will the league do say anything about it no will I be on list probably not do I care no that's all why why I don't care why oh because I'm not one of them people that do all the Antics like if y'all catch me y'all see me out there doing like little silly stuff like I'm not about to do that on like a major stage like on a Sunday night and do some crazy nah that's not me like I do it with my teammates I'm not about to go out there and look crazy those lists is that how wide receivers get on those lists I don't know how I don't know how they get on the list they all cool to me uh but some things you I don't know you just don't I don't dance I don't Tik Tok I'm not about to go out there and do all the stuff they do not about to throw tarp on the sideline know stuff like that do you have something to pro this year do do you do I have no no I just go out there and play free every year I don't really care about anything question go ahead with the way your career is going is there a heightened sense of anticipation of being at a winning team this year uh I think every year I wanted to be on a winning team and then some just you go on a law and then that just takes over and then you finish strong as you can and the record is what the record is at the end of the year and I have happened to be on the losing side for six years it doesn't seem any more real now you know because because the T this game is any different more real uh I don't know we got to get through week one week two week three four five six seven eight and at the end of the year we'll know if that uh anticipation was correct or wrong but I don't really got one so what the record is at the end of the year is what it is hopefully it's on the winning side and then we in the postseason and we be having this conversation smiling J you uh talked about your growth in leaders leadership what does it mean you now to be in that role for this team I mean honestly it's big I was surprised I got a Tex I didn't even believe it honestly but I mean kind of just one of those things where just continue to be myself nothing changes I feel like for me you're just oh yeah I'm Miss captain now so I got to go out here and do something different just continue to work um continue to lead by example I feel that's the biggest thing um but really just for the most part continue to lead the guide bring those around me continue to be more vocal um mean the goals and the things I wanted to do don't change because of that but definitely honored to have the SE on my chest to you coach hope yeah said that he's felt like the team has come together faster because of leadership just like you guys have been together for so long how have you noticed that take place uh how I haven't noticed it take place I think we just all have a common goal I feel like we've had guys that have come from different places that have won but not one at all TJ I mean he went to Super Bowl didn't quite win it train had been in I don't know how many AFC championships and I mean Keenan they won and he played with Philip Rivers at a high level um I feel like it's a lot of guys that have been in different positions that Know What It Takes know what it looks like to win and I like we all know that we have that and I think just want to continue to push each other to be better continue to jail together and I feel like we just all have a like-minded um mentality when it comes to winning when it comes to hard work so just want to continue to build on that I think it's easy to be motivated with gu that you're like-minded with and I think we all have the same similar mentality when it comes to winning what does it say to you that Caleb was voted on voted on by his teammates as a rookie to get that award or distinction um what does it say I mean you just continue to come in here and I feel like be who we want him to be I mean I feel like we know why we brought him in here um and I feel he just continue to do that continue to walk on those shoes and just continue to reset the bar for himself I feel it's just a step in the right direction for him but I don't think it's a bit of surprise coming in here being qb1 but you just had a pretty major life event what's it like to go through that before the season starts this week Imagine what's it like uh I mean honestly a good little break reset I mean I've been full goal since I left for for mini camp so I think just getting a little break getting a getaway a getaway bringing a or being able to bring my daughter into this world um just a beautiful process a beautiful thing to see and to witness um fiance did a heck of a job so I mean just honored to be in that room um I me we talking about tough performances so I mean she she went there and performed for sure so just wanted to being support for her um and just continue to be the dad that I've been just continue to show up continue to pour into my young life when they pulled you off the practice field thought they pulled you off the practice was that when you found out or what happened from there yeah I mean I kind of had a feeling um cuz she was already some CET diat for not to give too much information but so I mean I already kind of knew something was going to come so I just gave him my phones just for heads up just in case something happen so end up getting that call earlier than expected so that was I mean that was that taking taking the ball away last year was one of the big factors in getting you paid the way you did J off the preseason PR with Cincinnati look like a lot of these quarterbacks on OC is going to kind of steer away from throwing the ball at you how do you kind of guard against one not getting bored out there but two playing discipline versus you know one to take those chance because you don't get that many and what was the exact question before how do you like when you on the field How You Gonna guard against like because you get so few opportunities you probably want to shoot and try to take advantage of them but you also want to you know play discipline and play your Technique how you kind of guard against that when you know you might only get three or four Targets in a game I think for me my mentality regardless of if I get targets or not is complete dominance and I don't need to have the ball thrown for a receiver and know that he didn't he was never open so I think for me that's if I don't get the ball throwing my way if I do I mean my mentality is it's if they do throw it it's a waste of rep for them so I mean for me I expect to win every rep every oneon-one everything I mean every chance I get I don't I don't expect to lose I don't think I'm I'mma lose so I mean every every snap I mean I'm going into it thinking that the ball's coming and if it does then it's a l for them but that's about it the last three seasons how have you seen coach evolve in his rool as head coaches I seen his role evolved um I seen his role evolve I think I wouldn't even say that his role has evolved I feel like the the leadership has evolved underneath him I feel like coming in of course I feel like for us being transparent as the who were the leaders they were all P pushed out or let go um so I think we kind of had to re-identify who those leaders were going to be so just him coming in I think it was just establishing what the culture and identity is and then finding the leaders to implement that and I think for guys like myself Cole I mean Pat we've been here through the different regimes and things like that so just continue to be be leaders continue to buy into what he's bringing into the building I think for us just bringing in new guys we've brought in more leaders and guys to be able to go and talk to him and figure okay what is it that we want to accomplish and get on the same page so I think just overall the relationships with the players I feel like has been a big thing his relationship with the leaders and the captains and things like that I feel like has played a major role into I would say his his evolvement as well as an extension that for you personally what about his coaching style or his leadership style do you respond to that I respond I mean I respond to I would know traits of his yeah the best you or things that that you enjoy about the way he leads the team I would just say it's consistency um whether we agree with it as not as players that time I mean I mean he's very much so consistent in what he wants um and just how we're going to do it so I mean I definitely can say I I respect that but I mean just as far as how I respond I mean I'm not hard to get motivated Jaylen you guys came in the last season with a lot of excitement and anticipation it's a different year different team but is there is there anything that you guys address that and kind of Safeguard against having a let down like like would Happ started last year u i mean for me I don't I'm I'm buying into the hype honestly so I mean like I've said before plenty of times I've had pretty good boosters plenty talented I mean people in the locker room some times where oh yeah this is our year this is our year so I mean everything that we got in this locker room it sounds good it seems good I mean I've seen it but at the end of the day none of that matters I mean what matters is what we going to do this weekend and from every Sunday or Monday whatever game it is that's that's when it matters so I mean the preseason hype for me don't move me either I mean Caleb and mean everybody we all got to come in here we got to work I mean just top to bottom myself I mean new contract year I mean I don't mean I don't mean that no more I we got to come in here we got to go to work week one is that make a break a team but with where this team is now is um is getting off to a fast start and not just winning but you know kind of looking improved and something that is that is that is that important to you guys yeah win is important so I mean our first opportunity is week one so it's very much so important to get off to a fast start um because I mean that's that's the only opportunity we got so far so I mean just for us I mean we started off one and0 we started off on one before on I mean it doesn't it doesn't really change for us at the end day we want to go one and0 each and every week and we get the first opportunity to do that Darnell having gone through the rookie process so recently is there anything that you can impart on Caleb just about what he can expect through a 17 Game season um I'd say the the main thing would be uh just uh staying focused um later on in the season taking care of his body I mean I know he plays quarterback and we're or know he's not going to be getting hit you know but still taking care of his body staying focused um because it can become mundane at times to practice each and every day but just staying focused uh what do you want to show this year that maybe you not able to last year uh there's nothing I really want to show just I want to get better anything get better talk about getting better being a a top 10 pick the expectation that you would become one of the best rers in the league where do you feel like you are in that process and what is the next step in terms of where you want to improve uh so two questions uh first one uh I'd say as far as how close I or expectations um I think I'll never meet my expectations for myself but um following somewhere close to it it's good um and then what was the second question the back end of that in that progression what's the next thing that you want to like focus on in uh so focus on um just uh honing my craft to where it's uh you know getting through the basics uh like handling the basics you know getting into the leag getting your foot in the door and then start working on uh some more advanced stuff uh just advancing my technique stuff like that but talk about talk about how do you measure yourself individually personally the way you're playing how do you what standard do you kind of hold yourself to in that regard um um I couldn't really tell you I'm not I can't not going to tell you I should say but um very high uh so too high at times sometimes it feels like uh you know you're reaching for something that's not possible um but that's how I think that's how you get better so so that said when you your own words reaching for something that's maybe too high obviously you've probably had this before is that a tough way to live though like after games if sounds it's like perfectionist stuff you're talking about yeah it's tough but that's what it is what do you what do you know now that you wish you knew as a rookie I know now there's a lot of stuff I don't know um I say try to say the main main thing which something I wish I knew as a rookie uh the main thing being is just treat uh treat every player every game the same um not make one player too big or make like a lesser known player too small kind of just um treat every game and every player the same has it been challenging to have so much change and inconsistency next to you at Right Guard throughout the spring and summer um I don't feel like there's been tooo much uh we're always working even if there's not if it's not like a live practice rep we're always stepping through walk through and Reps after practice we're walking through reps uh um everybody in that positions we're always walking through reps and just getting a field talking to each other about what we see how we feel about it so there's not as much uh drop off when it comes to more live reps so it's it's pretty pretty good I know was a couple weeks ago but having had a chance to see what what Cincinnati does with some of their odd fronts you think that there's benefit to that and what you're going to face against Tennessee this week yeah yeah there was huge benefit in that um because you know they run kind of the same defense a little bit um some differences here and there but yeah getting a little uh taste for that just um it's not it's not a defense you see a lot but it is I mean not as much as uh like a normal four down defense but uh just getting your mind back into that mode of three down defense um it good it was definitely some good work for us turn know what stands out about the Titans defensive line is you kind of getting game planning setting them so far I say the main thing uh that stands out is they play hard you know um and I think they're well coached and uh it's going to be a good challenge for us um I'm happy that we have them first game just by how hard they play because I know how hard we play so it's going to be it's going to be fun um matching their intensity and then you know they're matching us as well it's going to be like a good competitive you know it's always fun when it's competitive did you follow them much at all while you were in college I six the closest to you yeah a little bit I didn't watch a lot of NFL uh in college you know so I was more so focused on just college but uh a little bit yes closest team so